The Past is Always Tense
by Naite-Laef
Summary: A higher power in the universe has an eye trained on Son Gohan. With such raw potential, there is concern he will follow in the footsteps of his Saiyan ancestors. And so he is cursed (or perhaps blessed?) to see the future, just as his reformed grandfather once did. When a new enemy comes calling, Gohan sees death- and must change fate at all costs.
1. Desperate

He pounded on the door.

Tears flowed freely as his father's screams echoed through the grasslands. Even trapped in the space pod, Gohan could hear the agonized cries with increasing clarity. His small hands began to shake, and he felt his anger grow. His daddy had always been there for him. His mommy and daddy had always protected him! Gohan didn't care about the obvious power differential. His daddy needed him.

"You're such a disappointment, little brother," Raditz admonished. Raising his finger in the air, he prepared a fatal energy blast. Goku cried out in pain as the heel of Raditz's boot dug further into his chest. Raditz merely toyed with the Earth-raised Saiyan, wasting time until he had gathered enough energy to destroy his brother once and for all. Hearing Goku's screams become dry and haggard, the warrior decided the game wasn't fun anymore- not when Goku couldn't fight back.

"It's time to die!" Raditz yelled. A brief look of surprise interrupted his cruel laugh as a high power reading flashed across his scouter. Before he could react, a small explosion erupted from behind him.

Startled at the unexpected commotion, Raditz's long nest of hair whipped around. Attention similarly captured, Piccolo and Goku turned to see the child flying through the air. Large chunks of molten metal and circuitry flew around the boy with the monkey tail, the space pod damaged beyond repair. Landing on his feet, Gohan twitched with rage. His brown tail puffed out behind him, giving the mild-mannered 4-year-old an almost feral look.

"I don't believe it," Raditz said in shock. His entire body went rigid at the sight of the enraged child. The way the toddler's soft, plump body seemed to pulse with power unnerved him… something about the boy disturbed the older man. As Gohan stared his uncle down, Raditz stumbled backwards, removing his foot from Goku's chest in the process.

Several of his ribs broken, Goku struggled to move. The devastating pain of his collapsed lungs had lessened, but the thought didn't concern him. He knew he had to move before something happened to his son.

Piccolo shuddered as a few of the Demon King's memories filtered into his consciousness. Looking at the half-Saiyan boy in utter disbelief, the Namekian knew he had seen that exact expression before.

His chest rising and falling in shallow breaths, Goku tried to keep the pain out of his voice. "Gohan," he said weakly. "Daddy wants you to run. Run as far as you can, Gohan."

"His power level," Raditz breathed, brow furrowing in awe. "It's still going up!"

An orange aura trickled around Gohan, bathing him in a warm, glowing light. Between clenched teeth, he shrieked, "Stay away from my daddy!"

His power still somehow rising, Gohan sprang forward and dove straight into Raditz.

A loud crack reverberated through Gohan's ears, and for a brief moment, he wondered if he had broken his head. Before his young mind could further wander, the grasslands and everyone surrounding him disappeared in a flash of painful white light.

The face of a humanoid fish solidified before his eyes. Though the bulbous lips didn't appear to move, Gohan knew the gravelly speaking voice belonged to the being.

"The one who seeks the power- Frieza- will never have it," the creature rumbled.

Raditz shouted as his armour cracked, the initial crevice splitting outward from the centre of his breastplate.

"But I have given it to you as a gift, Bardock," the strange voice told Gohan. "So that you could see."

Pain shot through Goku as he forced himself to sit up, the overwhelming concern for his son overriding his mortal wounds.

Gohan quivered at the sight of the fish man, who stood swathed in ethereal white light, slivers of blue flame dancing along the edge of his form. "See what?" He asked, in a voice that didn't belong to him. He sounded… older.

"See the horror of your end," the creature roared. "Just like we had to!"

Frozen in fear, Gohan couldn't move. Yet the words flew from his lips before he could stop himself: "Shut up!"

He blinked once, then twice. With a sore bottom, the little boy realized he was sitting on the ground. Dazed, he looked up only to meet his father's incredulous gaze.

"Daddy?" he asked, unsure of what had just happened to him.

"Gohan?" Goku sputtered. Though still fairly new to fatherhood, he was astounded that his son had survived such a blow to the head, let alone the boy's breathtaking surge of strength. But who had his toddler been talking to, and where had he picked up that kind of language, anyway?

"Daddy-"

"You dare strike me?" Raditz seethed, shuddering with each inhale. Back on his feet, he attempted to regain his composure and hide the true extent of his injuries. "You- a disgusting, half-breed child!"

"Stay back!" Goku warned, his anger flaring through him once more. "Don't come any closer!"

Blood dripping from his mouth, Raditz dismissed his brother's empty threat as he neared his nephew. The characters on his scouter whirled as the device worked to recalculate the boy's strength.

"Gohan, go!" Goku urged. "You have to get outta here. Now!"

Turning, Gohan saw the towering figure of his uncle standing before him. Losing all of his courage, a fresh stream of tears spilt down Gohan's cheeks. The gravity of the situation finally dawning on him, Gohan shook with fear in his large, dark eyes.

"Boy! What happened to your power?" Raditz demanded.

His mind flashing back to what the strange fish man had said, Gohan sniffed, "Power?"

"Whatever," his uncle spat, any semblance of patience now gone. "Your life ends here."

"Daddy," Gohan whimpered, frozen in place. "Daddy!"

"Leave him alone!" Goku yelled, struggling to lift an arm in defence of his son.

With a powerful backhand, Raditz sent his nephew spiralling through the air. Gohan's exclamation of pain ended abruptly as he hit the ground.

He sat up, scanning the exotic landscape before him.

"What- where am I?" Gohan gasped, realizing he couldn't be on the same planet anymore. The skies were green, and the grass was blue- the total opposite of Earth! In the distance, he could see several figures squaring off in defiance, one standing apart from the rest.

The lone individual captured Gohan's attention first. The creature's long, white tail whipped through the air in obvious displeasure. Dark spots of colour sat across the thing's chest, shoulders, and head. Smaller patches of the same colour adorned its forearms and knees. Gohan reasoned it must be some sort of lizard.

The lizard man pointed toward the opposing group, and Gohan's dark eyes followed the rippling beam of energy as it shot forth from the creature's finger. Shouts rang out from the small group. A large green man pushed a comrade out of the way, and the red energy impaled him instead. The deafening silence filled Gohan's ears as the green man slowly fell to the ground, and after a few moments, he stopped moving altogether.

Gohan knew, in theory, what death was. His mother had briefly explained it to him when one of the butterflies he had been playing with suddenly collapsed. She had made it sound peaceful and instant. But from the panicked cries of one of the fallen man's friends, Gohan only wanted to cry.

He felt his bladder loosen slightly in fear, and a wetness ran down his inner thighs. "Did I just watch someone die?" He wondered, a tremor racking his small frame.

"Son?"

Upon hearing his surname, Gohan's head jerked sharply to the right.

"Daddy? What are you-" the boy trailed off as he noticed a half-healed scar on the man's face. And that voice- it sounded familiar, but this man wasn't his dad. The new man seemed to realize his error as well.

Gohan quickly looked back, only to see that the stand-off had disappeared. He scanned the horizon, but didn't even see a body. Had he imagined it all?

He turned once more to the person he mistook for his father.

"You're not-" the older man stuttered, his proud posture crumbling in visible disappointment. "You're not Kakarot."

Cocking his head to the side, the little boy looked confused. "Kakarot," Gohan muttered, the foreign word roll slowly off his tongue. "That's what the mean man called my daddy."

Eyes wide, the man had clearly heard this statement. "What?" he demanded. He took a step back, wary of the newcomer. "No... that's impossible."

The little boy hesitated, but something told him he could trust this man. His father's dark eyes stared back at him through a stranger's face, and Gohan felt a sense of calmness wash over him. He put one foot in front of the other. Soon enough, he found himself staring up at the scarred man, merely a foot away.

The man's large, tanned hand gently settled on the top of his head. Starved for attention, the boy closed his eyes.

"Son?"

Gohan's eyes shot open.

Piccolo stood towering over him. "Playing dead, just like your father, eh?" he snarled.

Spitting water from his mouth, Gohan found himself in a small lake. The mean, green man looked down at him, and Gohan began to paddle away in terror. Overwhelmed with panic, he immediately forgot about his strange dream. What had happened while he was unconscious?

"Daddy, daddy, help!" He wailed. "Another scary man is here! Help!"

With a scowl, Piccolo plucked the child from the water and flung him onto the grass. After debriefing the frightened child on his father's death and the impending Saiyan invasion, the monster grinned.

"They'll be here soon, and we need all the help we can get," he said, the sunlight reflecting off his sharp fangs. "So I'm going to teach you to fight."

The boy trembled.


	2. Downcast

The days seemed to grow shorter. While Gohan had made incredible progress, Piccolo worried that it wouldn't be enough. He had taught the kid everything he himself knew, so the thought was worrisome.

And despite beating the bad habits out of the kid nearly every day, Piccolo still occasionally noticed strange lapses in Gohan's concentration. These occurrences seemed fairly infrequent, only happening once a week or so, though he had no idea what they could mean. The boy's demeanour would instantly change, and without notice. Most of these episodes would last for a few seconds, and it was more than enough time for Piccolo to quickly gain the upper hand in their spar. One time, though, the boy had gone unresponsive for several minutes.

He had grown somewhat fond of the boy over the past several months- not that he would ever admit it. So with the Saiyans' arrival just a weeks days away, he knew they couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

He watched from the corner of his eye as the boy tore into a dinosaur's tail. Perhaps an interrogation would distract him from the kid's disgusting eating habits.

"Gohan," he said, calling the kid to attention.

The little half-Saiyan looked up, dino blood dribbling down his cheek as he swallowed. "Yes, Mr. Piccolo?"

"What do you think about when you're fighting?"

The boy blinked, unsure of how to answer. "What do you mean?"

Piccolo growled. "You know what I mean," he reprimanded. "Why did you drop your guard earlier today? Any failure to pay attention is consequential in battle."

He noticed Gohan suppress a wince at the memory. The boy took one hand off his dinner to prod his tender black eye. "Sorry, Mr. Piccolo," the 5-year-old said. "It was nothing, really. I just need more practice."

"As if I'd ever believe that," Piccolo said, angry at how quickly the boy seemed to be shutting down. Normally at mealtime, he couldn't get the kid to shut up. The fact that his student was just trying to appease him only made it clearer to Piccolo. The boy was hiding something.

"I'm only going to ask once more, Gohan," Piccolo said sternly. "What happened?"

With a sigh, Gohan threw the rest of his dinosaur into the campfire. His stomach felt queasy just thinking about the things he had seen. He wasn't sure when he started having these weird daydreams, but he supposed he couldn't hide it forever.

"I know this is going to sound bizarre, but it's the truth," Gohan said, meeting Piccolo's serious expression with one of his own. "Sometimes I dream when I'm awake."

Piccolo's black eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Swallowing hard, Gohan searched for the right words. "It's like, one moment I'm awake and fighting you," he started. "But then suddenly I'm somewhere else, with different things happening."

His frown deepening, Piccolo simply waited for Gohan to continue. Sensing his mentor's intention, the boy continued.

"Like today when we were fighting," he started. "It happened again. It's like I blinked and suddenly there was a man. I've had… one or two dreams about him before. Every time I see him, he looks so angry. But this time he was angry for a different reason."

"And you don't know who this man is," Piccolo correctly concluded, a little unsettled by whatever telepathic force might be working its way into his pupil's mind. "What did he look like?"

Gohan nodded, not meeting Piccolo's gaze. "He has tall, black hair that stands straight up like fire. I think he's only a foot or two taller than me," he said. "And, well…"

"What?"

"He used to have a tail."

A vein bulged on Piccolo's forehead. "A Saiyan," he murmured, slightly in shock.

Gohan closed his eyes, waiting for his mentor's next thought.

Piccolo growled at the phrasing Gohan used. "Wait. What do you mean 'used' to?"

Nervously clutching at his gi pants, Gohan answered, "He had a tail, like mine. But then... he didn't."

"You said you've seen him in your dreams before," Piccolo said, his stoic expression not giving away anything other frustration. "Tell me exactly what happened the first time you saw him."

His eyes scrunched shut in concentration, Gohan relayed what he remembered of the Saiyans' arrival. He recounted the physical appearances of this man and his bald subordinate.

"The first time I saw them, they were floating. They touched down on the ground and just stood there. I just caught a glimpse," he admitted. "The second time I saw them, the big one was charging toward this other bald man. The man tried to block, but the Saiyan punched him so hard that his arm came right off."

"Wait, Krillin?" Piccolo said, his interest piqued once more. "You said he was bald. Was he about your height, with six dots on his forehead?"

"No, and he didn't look that short," Gohan said. "I just know that he had three eyes."

"What?" Piccolo said, voice unnervingly calm once more. "Three eyes?"

"Yeah," Gohan confirmed. "I didn't know people could have three eyes either."

His fists clenching in comprehension, the older man stood. "You've never met Tien before," he stated more so than asked. He felt his energy rise slightly in uncharacteristic concern.

"Who?" Gohan asked, suddenly timid from Piccolo's strange demeanour.

"Describe this... triclops to me," Piccolo commanded.

"He was shirtless, and had a lot of muscles. Even more than my dad," Gohan stammered. "And his pants were green. But, Mr. Piccolo, why-"

Livid with his student's return to such meek behaviour, the older being stood. "What you have been describing are visions," he said, his voice filled with venom. Despite being technically just four years older than Gohan, the countless memories from his father's life quickly helped him connect the dots. "Visions are psychic episodes in which one can glean details of the future. That's the only explanation of why you would know things you otherwise couldn't possibly know. For example, you've never met Tien Shinhan, have you?"

Big, black eyes peered up at him from beneath a wild mane of hair. "Wait, did you say 'the future'?"

"I cannot believe you didn't tell me this sooner," he raged.

"Sorry, Mr. Piccolo," Gohan said meekly. "I didn't think it was-"

"Tell me exactly what you saw in this last vision of yours," Piccolo commanded. "Tell me everything you can remember. I need every single detail, Gohan."

"I saw the smaller Saiyan again, but he didn't have a tail anymore," Gohan repeated. "His armour was gone, too. His clothes were really bright. His shirt was pink. He was just sitting on a rock." The boy paused for a moment, trying to recall what else he had seen. "There was an older boy there, with purple hair. He was sitting a bit away. But he kept looking at the Saiyan, and the Saiyan kept yelling at him. When they were quiet, they looked awkward. It was like they were waiting for something. I didn't see the big Saiyan at all though."

After seeing his mentor take an aggravated breath, Gohan stood. "I don't understand, what's wrong, Piccolo?"

"He lost his tail," Piccolo slowly repeated. He looked at Gohan seriously.

Gohan looked confused at the significance of this, but just moments later, his eyes widened. "No," he whispered in horror.

Piccolo simply turned to face away from his pupil.

"No," Gohan muttered to himself, his heart beginning to race. "He came to Earth with a tail. Then I saw him without a tail, with someone else, on another day-"

"He will live," Piccolo confirmed, brow furrowed. "We will fight, but he will walk away from the battle."

"Which means we're going to lose," Gohan finished, a tear running down his bloody face.


	3. Confused

"Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Gohan replied, taking a defensive fighting stance. "Who are you and what are you doing in my head?"

The tall, tanned man looked familiar. Gohan was certain he had had a vision of him before. He just couldn't quite remember which one- it must've been one of the first. Either way, the boy felt weary after his glimpses into the Saiyan invasion became true.

Ignoring his hostile expression, the man simply stepped forward. "You're not… Kakarot's son, are you?" the man asked in a strangled voice.

The boy blinked. "How did you know my dad's Saiyan name?"

The plains disappeared around him. The duo now stood face-to-face on some sort of tournament stage, framed by four pillars curving to a point. The Saiyans and the immobilized Z-Fighters nowhere in sight, and Gohan looked around to find only a rocky wasteland.

Who would build an arena in the middle of nowhere?

"I am Bardock," the man said, his head shaking in disbelief. "I am a third-class warrior of the Saiyan Army under Planet Trade Organization rule, leader of the Five-Person Land-Shark Team, mate to Gine, father to Raditz... and Kakarot."

With a gasp, Gohan stepped backwards. He silently cursed himself for not having made the connection sooner, though the man's demeanour had certainly thrown him off. While Goku held himself tall as a byproduct of his training, Bardock held himself high with a subtle sense of honour and pride.

"Wow, you're still alive?" Gohan marvelled. "I thought Frieza had killed all the Saiyans-"

"He did."

The two stood silently, taking in one another's alien appearances. Gohan wasn't sure how to respond so he didn't. The realization that he had met his dead grandfather through psychic foresight almost outweighed the blistering panic of being out of the battle for so long.

Almost. That is, until Gohan's vision shook and a blinding light obscured his view entirely. He squeezed his eyes shut and threw his arms up in a late attempt to block the painful light.

As the brilliant ray filtered down and the haze cleared, he became dimly aware of heavy, agitated breathing. Opening his eyes, he saw Piccolo standing in front of him. With his back to the boy, Piccolo looked grievously injured, and smoke drifted from the remains of his charred gi.

"Piccolo?" he stuttered.

With a grunt, the large Namekian tumbled forward, exhaustion overtaking him.

"You… you took a blast for me?" Gohan cried out, not quite believing his eyes. He scrambled to his mentor's side. "But we… we need you, Piccolo. Just hold on. You're going to be okay!"

"I've done what I can," Piccolo said, wincing with a sharp inhale. "You need to finish what we started."

"Don't talk like that!" Gohan said. "Just hold on. My dad will come and then-"

"This is how I die," his teacher softly interrupted. "Saving you."

Tears leaked from Gohan's eyes, despite Piccolo's many past reprimands. A new emotion flooded the child's chest. For the first time in his life, he realized he had never truly experienced loss before. Sure, he had technically lost his father, but he had known that the situation wouldn't be permanent. Intense fear clouded Gohan's mind. What if he never saw Piccolo again? With all the things Piccolo had done, would they even meet in Otherworld?

The thought was suffocating.

"Gohan," the Namekian said. "You're the only friend I've ever had. I want to thank you for that."

"No, Piccolo, don't-"

"When I first trained you, you were small and helpless. I thought it was weakness that made you unwilling to fight, but perhaps I was wrong," he admitted. "But you've changed. A lot. And I think you changed me, too."

The little boy shivered as he saw pale, green tears begin to fall from his friend's face. He had never seen Piccolo show so much emotion- so much humanity.

"You're like the child I never had," Piccolo finished. "I'm proud of you."

"No!" his resolve finally breaking, Gohan began to bawl. His first friend's lifeforce took a nosedive, and then faded completely in just seconds.

Nappa watched the boy clutch the corpse, still muttering empty promises and weak assurances, all while sobbing uncontrollably.

"NO!" Gohan yelled, his strong voice reverberating off the nearby mountains.

Jumping to his feet, the boy turned his grief-driven rage toward Nappa. His teeth clenched tightly, he seethed as the larger Saiyan stepped forward. Flinging his hands into the air, the boy crossed them above his head.

"Masenko!"

A terse silence punctured the air as the attack began to charge.

"Watch it, Nappa!" Vegeta shouted as his scouter whirled with new power readings. "The Earthlings can hide their strength!"

Nappa shrugged the warning off, interested to see what the twerp would do next.

"HA!" Gohan yelled, his blast heading straight for Nappa's face.

The hulking man swiped the energy from the air, redirecting it into one of the mountains. The large rock formation exploded on impact, thick smoke gushing out onto the battlefield.

Clenching his wrist in pain, Nappa forced a laugh. "Wow, kid, that sure tickled."

Gohan slumped forward as he finally felt the drain on his energy.

"Run, Gohan, run!" Krillin yelled from somewhere behind Gohan. The dwarf clutched at the ground, trying to stand, but couldn't.

But the boy wasn't listening. His ears were ringing, and he watched silently as Nappa strode toward him.

"Run while you still can, kid," the large man said, a casual smirk playing across his face.

"No way," Gohan breathed, clenching his fists tightly to his sides. "Piccolo's counting on me."

"Nice knowing you then!" Nappa sneered, raising a giant foot above Gohan's head. As the shadow overcame him, Gohan felt more tears sting at the back of his eyes.

He had failed. Piccolo was dead, and Gohan knew he was next. The knowledge hit him all at once, and he couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

On the verge of a breakdown, he nearly toppled over completely as a fluffy cloud swept him from the ground. Nappa's foot hit solid rock, missing Gohan's head by half a second.

"Nimbus?" Gohan croaked.

Heads turned as a figure dropped from the sky, only to land lightly on his feet. The bright, orange gi, and the wild hair was a dead giveaway.

He had frozen- he had messed up. He had let down Piccolo, but Gohan knew the new arrival would turn the tides of battle.

"Daddy!"


	4. Concerned

Gohan hadn't told anyone else about his strange experiences.

He tried his hardest to recount all of his visions thus far to anticipate what would come next, which he had plenty of time to do on the shuttle to Namek. He sat on the floor with a small notebook resting in his crossed legs, writing down everything he could remember. He organized them as well as he could remember chronologically, though the ones with his grandfather hadn't made sense in his preliminary timeline thus far.

Bulma came sauntering out of the bathroom, still wet with just a towel wrapped around her. She had apparently been showering for the past hour.

"Gohan, did you take my hairbrush?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

Before he could respond, Krillin appeared from behind a chair. "Sorry Bulma, that one's on me," he said sheepishly, tossing the item back to his friend.

"What the hell, Krillin?" She shrieked, holding the brush at arm's length with her fingertips. "What did you even do with this? You're bald!"

With a sigh, Gohan closed his journal as the bickering commenced. "Guess I'm done for the day," he thought. Tucking the book and pencil back in the top of his bag, he stood and stretched.

"Why does everyone think I'm naturally bald?" Krillin cried out. "I shave my head. Everyone knows a serious martial artist shaves his head!"

"Whatever," Bulma snapped. "Just don't touch my stuff again!" With a huff of annoyance, she disappeared once again.

Unsure what he had just missed, Gohan shook his head. "You ready to eat, Krillin?" he asked. With a nod, the monk pulled some prepackaged meals from the bag Chi-Chi had handed him on Kame Island. He had been tasked with keeping her growing boy well-fed with her home cooking- as if he would let the kid starve to death.

The small space had quickly taken its toll on the three passengers. Bulma always seemed to be making a mess. Krillin snored loudly, keeping everyone awake most of the night. And Gohan was proving to be more of a handful than the other two had anticipated. Despite being very mature for his age, he was still just a child.

"Do you think she'll be out soon?" he asked. He sat with his knees pressed tightly to his chest while Krillin finished the last of his dinner. Gohan's own empty bento boxes were stacked neatly beside him, along with the several containers of water with which he had washed his meal down.

"I mean, she already took a shower," he said with a shrug. "She's probably putting on her makeup or something. Who knows what girls do in there for hours."

"Hours?" Gohan nearly shouted. "I can't wait hours, I really have to go!"

"Just hold it," Krillin said. "I'm not in the mood to hear her yelling again."

"It's already been a while... I don't think I can hold it any longer."

"It's only been, like, two hours," Krillin muttered. Rolling his eyes, he raised his voice. "Bulma! Hurry it up in there. Gohan's gotta go!"

"Cool it, I'm almost done!" She called back.

"Sorry, kid," the man said, shrugging.

The colour drained from Gohan's face as he felt something warm and wet trickle down the front of his gi pants. The little boy sat still, head hung in shame, for a few minutes before whispering, "Krillin?"

"Hmm?"

"I… think I had an accident."

The dwarf looked at Gohan quizzically, the last of his rice clenched between a pair of chopsticks. "What?"

"I had an accident," he admitted in a small voice. "I'm sorry."

Krillin dropped his last bite as comprehension dawned on him. "Bulma! Bulma get out here right now, it's important!" He stood, helping Gohan to his feet to inspect the damage.

The apex of Gohan's purple gi pants was dark, obviously soaked with urine. The stench drifted through the air as the child began to move.

Bulma burst out of the bathroom. "What happened?" She demanded. "Is something wrong with the ship?"

"Can you go start a bath for Gohan?" Krillin asked, trying to keep his voice down in an attempt to placate the young boy, who looked dangerously close to shedding tears. "He had a little accident and should probably get cleaned up."

"What are you- oh!" Bulma said, finally looking at the boy. "Um, yeah… I'll go do that." Pursing her lips, unsure of what to say, she hurried back into the bathroom. Gohan reluctantly followed, with Krillin close behind him.

The situation was awkward for everyone. Bulma and Krillin had no children of their own, and hadn't entertained the idea of a tiny, weak bladder onboard. They routinely forgot that they were travelling with a literal child. And Gohan, who had been happy to have adults treat him with the same respect as they did each other, was completely crushed by this incident. He looked away as Krillin helped him out of his wet underwear, careful to not let any more urine touch his bare skin than what had already soaked through.

Bath already drawn, Bulma had located Gohan's overstuffed luggage to locate a new outfit for the boy. Immediately upon opening the main zipper, a notebook fell open into her lap. She ignored it for the time being, eventually finding a pair of clean boxers and an undershirt for the boy to wear to bed. As she shoved a few stray pieces of clothing back in, she finally looked down to the notebook. She hadn't meant to pry, but a few words in particular caught her eye, and she couldn't stop her brain from immediately finishing the sentence. Intrigued, she read the next. And the next.

Eyes narrowed, she looked up to make sure he was still alone. Glancing back to the eerie paragraphs scribbled randomly across the pages, she couldn't help but read on disbelief.

The genius woman caught on quickly.

His most recent vision hadn't been all that enlightening. It featured a glimpse of his father and Piccolo sparring- no real surprise there.

He looked at the brief list he had made in the page following his more in-depth descriptions. He had written down everything, unsure of how much of an impact the seemingly inconsequential visions could have. He stared at the items that were not highlighted- the ones he couldn't be sure had happened yet.

Another line caught his nervous eye:

Saiyan grandpa on another planet, white lizard kills the green man.

Could the aforementioned planet be their current destination, Namek, where all the people were green? If it was Namek, were all of his visions chronologically scrambled, or just the ones concerning Bardock? Did his premonitions present a mixture of both past and future events? The man was dead after all… And the means by which the full-blooded Saiyan managed to communicate with Gohan through his random telepathic episodes still eluded the young boy.

His head throbbed as he continued to think of possible explanations. He didn't hear Bulma's approach.

"Hey, kiddo," she said.

Gohan jumped into a standing position, his reflexes tensed and ready for battle. "Oh, gosh, Bulma!" he yelped. "You scared me."

"Sorry," she said gently, taking a seat next to the notebook he had dropped. He quickly knelt down and plucked the book from her hands.

"Oh, thanks for picking that up," he said, not quite meeting her eyes.

She reached out a slender hand and moved his chin toward her. Meeting his puzzled expression, she said, "I know, Gohan."

Panic swelled in the little boy as he tried to assure Bulma that he had no idea what she was talking about. But it clearly wasn't working.

"Don't lie to me, Gohan," she said, hands on her hips. At the dangerous look she gave him, he settled down almost immediately. He knew that tone of voice too well.

After Bulma explained how she had stumbled across his book, she briefly apologised for invading his privacy. "I really didn't mean to see it," she said. "But now that I did, I have to ask… is it true, Gohan? Can you really see the future?"

The two were silent for a few minutes. Her patience waning, the woman felt the tension leave her shoulders as the little boy finally answered her.

"Please don't tell anyone," he pleaded, barely audible.

Despite expecting confirmation, Bulma slumped to the floor in shock. She closed her eyes and massaged her temple with one hand while settling into a seated position closer to the boy. He scooted over to make room for her, nervously wringing his hands together.

The older woman glanced back at the bathroom, where Krillin was currently hidden from view. She looked back at Gohan, a hurt expression shining through her worried face.

"Of course, Gohan. I won't tell," She softly agreed. "Does anyone else know?"

"Piccolo does," Gohan answered. "Or… at least he did."

Slinging an arm around his narrow shoulders, Bulma squeezed the boy to offer some sort of reassurance. "Don't you worry about him," she said. "We'll wish him back in no time."

"I know."

"Why don't you want anyone else to know?" She asked, hoping the prodding question wouldn't shut him down completely.

Gohan didn't answer.

"Did you have any… visions of Namek?" She inquired.

His stomach lurched in rebellion, and a sickening weight settled in his chest.

"I don't want to talk about it," he replied honestly.

Because he knew their adventure wouldn't end well.


	5. Grieving

It was finally over.

The waves clashed restlessly in the distance, but grew calmer as they reached the shore. Deep in reflection, Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, and Krillin stood side by side.

With one arm wrapped around his best friend's shoulders, Goku's other hand mussed his young son's hair.

"You ready to head home, little man?" Goku asked. "My ship will get us there in five days or so. Maybe even faster with Bulma as a proper pilot."

A large grin broke across the boy's face, and he jumped out of his father's embrace. "Really?" he exclaimed. "That's awesome!"

Piccolo didn't bother to conceal his smile as Gohan jumped around, celebrating their tough victory. "Yes, we get to see Mom again! Mom, and Grandpa, and Icarus! I missed them all so much, Dad."

With a hearty slap on the back, Goku accidentally sent Krillin tumbling forward. "Ouch!" he cried.

"Oops, sorry," Goku said with a chuckle. "Doesn't matter how tired I am, it looks like I still gotta hold back, huh?"

While Krillin lightly scolded his friend, Piccolo watched on in amusement. Gohan looked up at his master in wonder, having never seen the Namekian so relaxed before.

Gohan's thoughts scattered as the sound of voices suddenly died down. He looked over to see Krillin shaking with pure terror. Goku and Piccolo had frozen as well, simply looking on in bewilderment.

Slowly, all heads turned to follow the short man's gaze. Standing atop a nearby cliff stood Frieza in his final form.

With an involuntary step back, Gohan collided with Piccolo's muscular leg. Piccolo's teeth gnashed together in a growl, his fierce protectiveness of the child kicking in once more. He placed a firm hand on Gohan's shoulder in assurance. And Goku couldn't help but grimace as the last of his adrenaline wore off, announcing to his body just how badly he had been injured.

"It's Frieza," Krillin finally croaked.

The white lizard man's tail writhed behind him, clearly agitated.

"How?" Goku asked weakly.

"The spirit bomb…" Piccolo muttered in agreement. There was no conceivable explanation as to how Frieza could have possibly survived.

At Frieza's side, one slender finger rose from a clenched fist.

An intense, physical tremor racked Gohan's small frame. He recognized this scene- he had already lived this moment over a year ago! His chest constricted in response, and he felt himself unable to move a muscle.

The beam pierced cleanly through Piccolo's chest.

Goku stumbled a few feet away, unprepared for the force of Piccolo's shove.

As the Namekian's agonizing scream finally wore down, the large man tumbled forward.

Gohan stared at his mentor's still form, caked in blood and dirt.

"No," he whispered. "No… Piccolo." The young boy staggered forward in numb feet before finally falling to his knees.

Uncontrollably sobs flooded through his body, and he held struggled to hold them back through gritted teeth.

"If you think your friends can escape me, you're sadly mistaken," Frieza's shrill, androgynous voice intoned. His finger slid slightly to the side, Krillin directly in its path of destruction.

But the blast never came.

Blue and yellow towers of lightning flashed around them, lighting up the dark sky. As heads turned to assess the situation, the Arcosian tyrant's gaze fell on the half-Saiyan.

"I won't let you… get away… with this," Gohan gasped out.

Frightened by his son's rapid rise in energy, Goku stepped forward.

"Gohan?" he asked quietly, unsure of what was happening.

The shore beside them stirred in a frenzy. The pale stone beneath them began to crack and shudder. Small chunks of rock surrounding Gohan lifted from the ground.

The boy had known. He had seen it- twice!

His breath came in shallow gulps now, his anger disturbing the natural forces that governed Namek. An unseen breeze wafted through his thick hair, pushing the strands against the gravity of his mother's hair gel.

He had been powerless to stop it- just as he had been worthless in the fight against the Saiyans.

His small chin shooting up, Gohan's shining eyes bore through Frieza. "I won't let you…"

His head jerked back once, then twice. His body seized of its own accord, and his black hair seemed to flash golden. The single strands continued to rise until his hair almost resembled that of his father's. "I won't let you get away with this!" he repeated, his high-pitched voice sounding much gruffer.

What good is the ability to see the future if you can't save the ones you love?

Blue bolts of energy shot from the sky in greater frequency, the child's very energy changing the air around them. The boy was so occupied that he didn't see Piccolo begin to stir.

Hair flashing once more, Gohan suddenly stilled. Then with a terrifying scream, his pupils disappeared and his body was engulfed in a brilliant, golden glow.

This was far from over.


	6. Shocked

Goku stared in awe of his son.

After Gohan had reluctantly let Frieza live, the father and son had made a harrowing escape via one of the Ginyu Force's space pods.

While Gohan had begun to panic, his Super Saiyan state faltering, Goku had kept a clear head. He had refused to leave his little boy when Namek had been evacuated, and he certainly wasn't going to let him die in the planet's pending explosion. With his only child jammed tightly between his knees, the Saiyan man had fired up the engine without knowing just where they were going. He figured anywhere would be better than nowhere.

He stared at his son while the shimmering golden hair faded to black, the strands falling back into their human hairstyle. Goku gingerly picked up his son and rested him in his large lap. He carefully checked the now unconscious boy for any signs of serious injury, only to find nothing worrisome. While the boy was covered in bruises and scratches, the upper part of his blue jumpsuit haphazardly torn off with the destruction of his breastplate, the boy appeared miraculously unharmed.

Sighing, Goku held his son closely to his own bare chest, happy to feel Gohan's warmth against him. His little boy had survived.

A bright flash of light burst through the transparent front of the space pod, and moments later a deafening boom followed. The pod jostled wildly as Namek exploded.

Gripping his son tightly, Goku sat stiffly in his seat, trying to ride out the turbulence. Mere moments later, debris hit the space pod, knocking him back into the surrounding metal.

Everything went black.

The months passed quickly. As Goku and Gohan recovered on Yardrat, life slowly returned to normal for the other Z-Fighters.

Well, most of them.

Just over a year later, the allies of Earth found themselves heading toward the northern wastelands.

Chi-Chi paused in her sweeping to close her eyes.

"Got it," she muttered to herself. She still had some trouble sensing life force, but she managed to track Krillin's slightly raised energy level.

Flinging the broom from her hand, she untied her apron strings and hurried to the door. Silently reminding herself to pick it up later, she rushed out the door, the apron falling from her slack grip.

With one powerful motion, she launched herself into the air.

Thousands of light-years away, Gohan sat on his father's lap.

"Yeah, you've definitely grown," Goku reflected.

"Really?" Gohan asked, innocently. "I guess I didn't notice."

The space pod, though decidedly more cramped than their previous journey, powered through the galaxy in no time.

Before he could comment on how much Gohan's hair had grown as well, Goku stiffened.

"Dad?" Gohan said, sensing the change in his father's demeanour. "What-"

Then he felt it. The undeniable spike in energy.

"Frieza," Goku said, his voice hard. "He's on Earth!"

Gohan tensed.

"We won't get there in time," Goku continued. "Not in this space pod, at least-"

"They're called Attack Balls, you know."

"What?" Gohan asked, turning to face his father. But Goku was nowhere to be seen, and neither was their pod. With a sigh, Gohan rubbed his tired eyes.

"What did you say, Bardock?" He asked.

The dead Saiyan currently stood in the same mysterious arena as before. His green and black armour made him stand out starkly against the off-white tiling. Bardock turned to face Gohan, eyebrows scrunched below the red strip of cloth tied to his forehead.

"The space pods, as you call them," he repeated. "They're Attack Balls."

"Oh," Gohan said lamely. "Okay."

"What's up with you, kid?" The grandfather scowled. "You seem… off."

While their interactions were few and far between, both males had grown attached to each other. There was something intimate about sharing a subconscious.

The boy hesitated before opening up. "All of my visions recently have been of training," he started. "But I don't know what we're training for."

"What do you mean?" Bardock snorted. "Earthlings don't just train to keep their skills sharp?"

"Well, we do," Gohan lamented. "But this… it felt different. It was like when Piccolo trained me."

"Oh?"

"There was a need," Gohan said, shaking his head. "There was a new threat coming."

Before Bardock could respond, a tugging sensation in his stomach brought Gohan back to reality.

Goku's instant transmission took the pair straight to the action. With a metallic clash, they watched in disbelief as a young man cleaved Frieza in half with a slim sword.

Several more strokes had the rest of the Z-Fighters enraptured as well. The youth with pale blonde hair had killed in Frieza with minimal effort. After a final blast of insurance, the young man obliterated the chunks of Arcosian flesh until the galactic emperor was no more than a memory.

With a soft clang, Trunks returned his sword to its rightful place on his back. Turning slightly to look behind him, he grinned. "Goku!"

The full-blooded Saiyan laughed guiltily, sensing that the danger had passed. "Hey, you know me?"

"Goku!" his friends cried. They rushed him all at once, peppering him with questions.

"GOHAN!" The crowd parted as Chi-Chi leapt to her son's side. Shocked at his mother's presence, she was able to knock him down rather forcefully.

"I missed you, Chi," Goku said, patting his wife on the back while she coddled their son.

She sent a hard look at her husband. "We'll talk later," she growled. Much to everyone's surprise, she didn't jump at the opportunity to immediately scream at him.

Gohan hugged his mother back without abandon, glad to finally be back on Earth.

"Sorry to interrupt," a voice said. "But we need to talk."

A blonde Trunks gently touched down in front of the Son family reunion.

"No, you can't be," Goku said, cocking his head to one side. "Are you… a super Saiyan, too?"

"Yes," he confirmed. Dropping his energy, the teenager's hair sagged against his head in a neat, purple haircut.

"We need to- Gohan?" Trunks said, suddenly noticing the child.

The little boy looked up, dressed identical to his father in Yardrat casual wear.

"How do you know my name, Mister?"

"You stay away from my baby," Chi-Chi hissed, trying to shield Gohan from view.

Trunks looked like he didn't know how to respond. After a moment, he collected himself and pressed Goku again. "We really need to talk, Goku. In private. It's very important."

"Sure thing, let's go."

"No way!" Chi-Chi reprimanded. "You seriously just got back with your family and you're already running away again?"

"I'm not leaving again," Goku said. "We'll just be over there!"

"Remember, that boy just saved us all," Krillin spoke up. "I think it's safe to say he's on our side."

Silencing the shorter man with a glare, Chi-Chi nodded to Goku. Kneeling down, she began to brush through her son's hair with long fingers.

Once out of earshot, Trunks confronted Goku.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Goku," he said. "I know you just got back, but I need to know. Can you transform into a Super Saiyan at will?"

"I'm still working on it, but yes."

"Working on it?" Trunks asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"I only transformed a few months ago," Goku stated. "Gohan helped train me up to it while we were in space."

"Gohan? But… he's only what, six? Seven?" Trunks said, baffled. "How could he possibly be a challenge to you?"

"Well, he turned Super Saiyan first, right when he defeated Frieza on Namek," Goku said, as if it was obvious. "So he showed me how."

"Gohan is a Super Saiyan?" Trunks hissed, eyes wide. "He defeated Frieza?" After receiving a nod in affirmation, Trunks swore.

His expression growing serious, Goku asked, "What's wrong?"

"That wasn't supposed to happen," the teenager said through clenched teeth. "This is going to sound strange, but I'm not from this time. I'm from the future- about twenty years in the future to be exact."

"Whoa, what!" Goku exclaimed. "That's incredible! Are you serious?"

"Yes," Trunks said, solemn.

"Wait, so are you even born yet?" Goku pressed, completely enthralled with the thought of time travel.

After reluctantly sharing his heritage, Trunks brought the conversation back to its original purpose.

"I came here to warn you of a new threat. I knew coming back would inevitably alter some events, but this is… this is unimaginable," he said, clearly frustrated. "Any small change can make a huge difference, do you understand? And clearly something happened differently in this timeline, and early on, too."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it's fine," Goku said, trying to cheer the boy up.

Trunks was quiet for a while, before he finally spoke. "I suppose you're right. After all, this could be better- you're still a Super Saiyan like you were in my timeline's past, but now Gohan is as well. He could be a very valuable asset in three years."

"Three years," Goku said, thinking. "What you came to warn us about- it happens in three years?"

"Yes. And I need you to listen very, very carefully, Goku."

"I'm listening."

"In three years, on May 12th, two evil beings will show up on an island nine miles southwest of South City. They're cold, unfeeling Androids, Goku- monsters," Trunks said, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. "They will kill without remorse. You need to stop them, otherwise life as you know it will come to an end."

Meanwhile, Gohan was watching his friends intently. Vegeta stood in the back if the group, his scowl contrasting his lively pink shirt.

"So how long were you waiting for us?" Gohan asked Bulma.

"Waiting?" Bulma asked. "What do you mean? We just got here."

"Yeah, we came when we sensed Frieza," Yamcha confirmed, giving Gohan a puzzled look. "We didn't even know you guys were coming."

"What?" Gohan said, before quickly slapping a hand over his mouth. Choosing his words carefully, he asked, "So that other Super Saiyan guy, he just got here too?"

"Yes," Tien said. "He defeated Frieza rather quickly, too."

Gohan felt his hands begin to shake. His energy rose slightly in anxiety, but all of Goku's attention was too focused on the newcomer to notice.

His features fell as Trunks sternly informed him that showing Gero mercy would be the biggest mistake Goku had ever made. A chill ran down his spine as Trunks told him how his friends would die, one by one.

"Only one survived… my master, Gohan," Trunks said. "But eventually, they came for him, too, thirteen years later."

Gohan felt like collapsing.

"So, my vision of them waiting… it didn't come true?" he thought in a panic. "What happened? Did seeing the future somehow change it?"

"Gohan?" Bulma asked softly, not wanting to attract attention to the boy. But she knew something was up, and she had a feeling it was related to something he'd seen.

Gohan was worried- really worried. If one small event such as arriving early had changed an outcome, who knew what else could change? What else had changed without him realizing it?

Feigning exhaustion, he excused himself from his mother's grasp and sat next to Piccolo. Already having an idea of what happened, a large, green hand rested on Gohan's head for reassurance. Bulma sent him a small, nervous smile, but Gohan just looked away.

"Honestly, I shouldn't be messing with time like I am, trying to change the future," Trunks confessed as Goku pocketed a small medicinal vial. "And please, don't tell anyone about who I am. If mother and father catch wind of anything fishy… I might not be born."

"Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks, Goku. I knew I could count on you."

"So is this goodbye?" Goku asked, already itching to fight this strong newcomer. Though he figured it might be rude to ask so soon after discovering the world was about to end.

"Perhaps," Trunks said, with a small smile. "But if I can manage another trip back, I will."

"Alright. See you soon, then."

The teenager turned, then stopped suddenly. "Before I leave…"

"Yeah?"

"Can you turn into a Super Saiyan for me?"

With a grin, Goku powered up.

The Z-Fighters watched in awe as Goku and the stranger both became Super Saiyans.

"Impossible," Vegeta roared, for the tenth time. "There's no way that boy can be a Saiyan… and now that third-class clown had managed to surpass me! Let alone a filthy half-breed toddler-"

"It's so much," Chi-Chi breathed. As a new energy user, she quickly became overwhelmed by the sheer influx of power. She fell to her knees, fainting in Krillin's arms shortly after.

Sensing his wife's intense distress, Goku cut his impromptu spar with Trunks short. He bade the teen farewell, and watched to make sure Trunks disappeared safely.

As soon as the mysterious ship had vanished, the group of fighters ventured toward Goku.

"Hiya!" Goku cheered.

Krillin gently passed Chi-Chi to her husband. Her eyelids fluttered open as she felt Goku's strong arms wrapped around her.

"Wow, Chi-Chi, you feel really strong," he said, cheery as ever. "We should spar when we get home!"

"Yeah, I made Krillin start training me so I could keep up with my boys," She huffed. "But really, Goku? I haven't seen you in forever, and you want to spar?"

"Well yeah," he said innocently. "We haven't done it in years!"

Her face turned red in exasperation. "How about we go make another baby- We haven't done that in years!" She responded sarcastically, yet earnestly.

"Mom?" Gohan interjected. He didn't know what she meant, but this sounded like one of those after-he-goes-to-bed conversations.

Before the married couple could argue further, Piccolo took charge of the situation.

"Well, Son?" he demanded. "Spit it out already. Tell us about the Androids."

"You mean you heard?" Goku asked, incredulous.

"My ears do more than just frame my face," the Namekian snapped, a faint purple blush gracing his cheeks. Did everyone forget he was an alien, too?

"Right," Goku said, carefully setting Chi-Chi on her feet. His face grew serious once more.

"Three years from now, on May 12th…"


	7. Anxious

The next year flew by in a blur of training.

Tien and Chiaotzu trained in the northern mountains, far from civilization.

Yamcha and Vegeta trained at the Capsule Corp. compound, albeit separately.

Krillin continued to train Chi-Chi just a few hundred yards where Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo trained in the 439 East Mountain District.

"To be completely honest with you, I can't believe you're actually sticking with this," Krillin admitted.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Chi-Chi demanded, looking down at her instructor.

"Ah, well, you know!" Krillin stuttered, falling out of his stance.

She sighed. "Do you know what it feels like to always be left behind?" she asked, lowering her voice. "If my husband and son insist on charging head first into life or death battles all the time, then you better believe I'll be there, too. I will do anything to protect my Gohan. Anything!"

"Right," Krillin said, unsure of what else he could say. After all, he and Chi-Chi had never exactly been friends. So when she showed up at Kame House one day demanding to be trained, it was sheer intimidation that made Krillin succumb to her will. And as a former martial artist, Chi-Chi actually had great potential to become a Z-Fighter.

They had grown closer over the years, but they were still student and teacher, not friends. And so the silence had become slightly awkward.

"I bet the boys are hungry," she said suddenly. "Let's break so I can make lunch."

"Good idea," Krillin readily agreed.

As the man started to lift off the ground, Chi-Chi's next words halted him. "Thank you," she said, sincerely. "Thank you for helping me protect my family."

A genuine smile spreading across his lips, Krillin nodded once before taking flight.

The pair flew off toward the Son residence, raising their energy slightly so the Saiyans and Namekian would return as well.

While her premade lunches weren't nearly as delicious as her fresh cooking, everything Chi-Chi touched in the kitchen turned to gold. And so Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo had turned up in no time. Hands on shoulders, the three warriors materialized into existence with Gohan standing in the middle, two fingers pressed to his forehead.

"Hi, Mom!" Gohan said, running up to hug his mother. He had grown taller, and his torn gi revealed the beginnings of toned pectorals.

"Have you been training hard?" she asked with a small smile, brushing her fingers through his sweaty hair.

He nodded eagerly. "Yep!" he squeaked. "Piccolo even taught me a new move, and it worked on Dad!"

"Oh, did he?" she drawled, still not completely over Piccolo's kidnapping days. The Namek, sensing her hostility, promptly turned away. Goku merely laughed and recounted the story, much to Krillin's interest.

"Special Beam Cannon?" Krillin said, surprised. "Isn't that what killed you and Raditz, Goku?"

The Saiyan grinned. "Yep! Gohan's pretty accurate with it, too. Hit me right in the chest on his first try-"

Gohan helped his mother set the table. Since it was such a nice day, and they had company, Chi-Chi decided it would be a good idea to eat outside on their picnic table.

His grip faltered and a large dish of fried rice clattered to the floor.

The most beautiful woman Gohan had ever seen filled his vision. Her icy blue eyes seemed to drill a hole straight through him. She stared, unamused, as she pushed a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ears. She stood alone in the middle of an empty road, looking as innocent as ever.

Her face hardened, eyes widening slightly as an indiscernible figure in blue lunged toward her, knocking her back into a cliff. Chunks of rock exploded outward, further obscuring everything from view.

His sight cleared suddenly, and Gohan blinked to find his mother fussing over the mess.

"I swear, I should've never compromised on your study schedule!" she grumbled, sweeping the scattered rice grains into a dustpan. "I would have never let you train for the Androids if I had known you would become such a delinquent!"

Piccolo sent Gohan a knowing look. The boy gave a subtle nod back, assuring his friend that nothing was amiss.

Goku had already begun filling up on what Chi-Chi had managed to get into the table, and Krillin simply looked on in confusion. "Are you feeling okay, Gohan?" he asked.

"Yeah, just fine," the child lied.

"Aside from watching another helpless person being murdered," Gohan thought. "And it must've been by an Android, too..."

His fists clenched as he walked back into the kitchen, intent on getting a moment alone to collect himself.

"Bardock," he said quietly. "Are you there, Bardock?"

It's not as if he could call upon the dead man at will, but Gohan still felt a bitter disappointment when he didn't receive a response.

"Hindsight may be 20/20," he thought, "but I'm running blind on foresight alone…"

Later that night, Gohan snuck out of his window.

He warmed up with a few simple katas, and then went for a jog around the mountain range. The cool air stung at his lungs, but he had long since grown used to the sensation.

He had to be better. He had to be stronger- faster! He needed to be at his best if they were going to stand a chance against the Androids.

He couldn't afford to freeze up when the fate of humanity was at stake.

Gohan came to an abrupt stop, falling back painfully on the spot where his tail had once been. With a yelp, he rubbed his lower back. Looking up, he saw he had run into the hard chest of his father, the man clad only in a pair of boxer shorts.

"Gohan," Goku said. "What are you doing out at this hour? You should be asleep, son."

"Oh… Hi, Daddy," Gohan said. He cringed, realizing he had called his father daddy. After all, hardened warriors probably didn't call their fathers 'daddy.'

Goku looked at him expectantly, and when Gohan refused to meet his eye, Goku sighed.

"What did I tell you about training? About letting your muscles rest?"

Ashamed, Gohan stood with his head bowed. "It's good to let muscles rest… they build back up and get stronger when given a break."

Goku nodded. "Exactly. Now, I know I'm not the smartest guy, but I bet you know even more about it from your textbooks, am I right?"

"Yeah," Gohan muttered. "The muscle fibres tear during exercise, so your body is only able to make repairs when they're not in use."

"I'm going to ask you again, Gohan," Goku said gently, kneeling down to get a better look at his son. "What are you doing out here? What's the matter?"

The hiccups came without warning, and soon Gohan found himself sobbing into the crook of his father's neck. Warm arms enveloped him, shielding him from the chilly breeze.

"Let it all out," Goku whispered, just loud enough for the boy to hear. "Let it all out, Gohan."

"I'm scared," the boy confessed. "He said so many people would die, Dad. What if we can't stop the Androids in time?"

"Don't think like that," Goku told him sternly. "You'll get nowhere in life if you think like that. You're setting yourself up for failure before you've even tried."

"But how can you be so calm?" Gohan cried. "How can you act like everything is going to be alright when you don't know that for sure?"

"That's easy," Goku answered. "Nobody knows if everything will be alright, or if it won't, so why waste your energy thinking about all the bad things that could happen? You could spend that time and energy doing good things and trying to help people."

The 8-year-old felt more tears escaping his closed lids. He knew his father wouldn't understand. He loved Goku, but they were so different on a fundamental level. Fear and anxiety can't simply be waved away with optimism- not for Gohan, anyway.

"Okay," was all he said.

Thinking the issue resolved, Goku used instant transmission to take them back. Using Chi-Chi's energy as a guide, the pair materialised outside of the master bedroom.

"Do you want to sleep with us, little man?" Goku asked, ruffling his son's hair.

Wiping at his eyes, Gohan hesitated before nodding.

"Okay, but just this once, alright?" Goku whispered. "I have a feeling your mom won't be too happy if you do this all the time."

Nodding, Gohan took Goku's hand as the man led them inside the bedroom. The faint moonlight coming from an almost-closed curtain gave the Saiyans enough light to see with. Chi-Chi lay on her side, clearly asleep in some kind of sleeveless nightgown. Gohan undressed before crawling into the bed next to her. Placing his son's purple gi on his nightstand, Goku followed the boy into bed.

Gohan didn't sleep well. On either side of him, his parents slept rather peacefully, aside from Goku's snoring and incessant tossing and turning.

Something nagged at the back of the half-Saiyan's mind. He felt like this moment shouldn't be wasted in sleep.

He wanted to make it last.


	8. Afraid

Gohan shivered as he tied the red sash around his waist. He glanced at his desk, where a thin calendar rested above his pile of workbooks.

May 12, Age 767.

"The first day of the apocalypse," Gohan thought grimly. "And the last day to end it."

After pulling on his brown, Namekian fighting shoes, Gohan proceeded down the stairs as if in a trance. He felt his stomach clench with hunger, yet he felt nauseous at the same time.

"Hey, there you are, Gohan!"

Goku sat at the dining room table, his cheeks puffed with breakfast. Gohan gave his father a small wave in response before taking his own seat. Chi-Chi had just finished cooking, and joined her family to eat.

"Good morning, Gohan," she said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Is she… nervous?" Gohan thought. He'd seen her hysterical plenty of times, but such a timid emotion didn't belong on his mother's face. He forced a smile back. "Yeah, I even slept in a little."

"That's good, honey."

The only Son oblivious to the palpable tension, Goku inhaled his breakfast with his usual gusto. And as usual, he was not only the first to start eating, but also the last to finish.

"Ah, good as always, Cheech!" He sighed, finally leaning back in his chair. "I'm gonna go stretch."

The mother and son watched silently as he sauntered out the front door.

Chi-Chi accepted her son's help with the dishes without a word, and the pair finished cleaning the pile in record time.

As Gohan patted his hands dry on a clean dish rag, his mother's small hands settled in his shoulders.

"So how are you really doing?" she asked in a quiet voice.

He swallowed. "I'm just nervous," he lied. "I'll be fine."

She looked him over thoroughly, as if inspecting him for something. When she didn't reply, he asked: "Are you sure you still want to come along?"

She scoffed. "I know it's hard to believe, but I was nearly on par with your father once upon a time," she said. "I'll be fine- I'm just there to watch your back. Just in case."

He smiled, genuinely glad to have so many people in his life who cared for him. Yet the strange weight in the air around him didn't lessen. Something big would happen, either today or very soon.

He knew because his last vision was over a year and a half ago.

The Z-Fighters waited, many of them growing restless.

"I can't believe that kid," Yamcha scowled. "Was he just messing with us?"

"Jeez," Bulma said, rolling her eyes. "So what if it's a little past ten o'clock? Don't be so literal."

"I'm inclined to agree with Yamcha," Krillin butted in. "We should've sensed their energy by now."

Just moments later, an explosion lit up the sky.

"Up there!" Piccolo shouted. "It's the Androids- I see them!"

Two humanoid specks floated through the explosion, not weary in the slightest. They descended into the sprawling city below, their forms fading into the distance.

The jet plane they had blown up fell into the ocean, the energy of the pilot already eliminated from the Androids' initial attack.

"Where'd they go?" Yamcha gushed.

"They moved so fast," Goku said, his voice full of disbelief. "I didn't even sense their power levels!"

"Wait," Gohan said. "If they're both Androids… they're basically robots, right? So maybe… they don't have any energy to sense."

A growing sense of panic swelled within the close-knit group.

"That's crazy!"

"How are we supposed to fight them when we can't find them?"

"Oh, man, this isn't a good start…"

"We'll just do this the old-fashioned way, then," Piccolo mused. "With our eyes. Let's split up."

"Chi-Chi, stay close to me," Goku commanded. "Gohan, stick to Piccolo. Got it?"

The fighters hovered, pausing slightly before scattering off into different parts of South City.

Just minutes later, Yamcha's energy fell first. His comrades arrived on the scene just as the flow of blood stilled to a slight trickle.

The city burned behind them as a pale, heavy-set man shot laser beams at the newcomers. Android Nineteen just barely managed to avoid hitting any of the warriors, but the civilians were not as lucky.

Hearing the screams of agony in the distance, Goku flew forward and decked the perpetrator, stopping the rapid fire.

The Android, pushed back slightly by the force of the punch, merely grinned. Though his cheek looked slightly discoloured now, he remained in top condition.

Furious, Goku roared, "You monster!" Head bent low, his dark eyes never left the face of his enemy. "You just murdered thousands of innocent people. Why, damn it?"

"You wouldn't have fought us otherwise," Nineteen stated. "Now you don't need to worry about any… collateral damage."

The Saiyan shook with outrage.

Demanding that the impending fight be relocated, Goku led the pack away. En route, Chi-Chi fed Yamcha a senzu bean while Krillin helped support the man's body. Breathing normally again, Yamcha warned the others about the Android's unique, energy-draining ability.

Landing lightly in an open field, Goku stepped forward. After a moment of glaring, he asked, "What do you want? Why are you here?"

Two more figures emerged from the skies, dropping to either side of the fat Android.

Gohan reeled back, shocked by the sight of the newcomers.

The young woman Gohan had seen several years ago stood before him now, her straight, blonde hair drifting sideways In the breeze. A male version of her stood on the other side of Nineteen, the movement of his black hair mirroring her's.

"Isn't it obvious?" the teenage boy spoke in a deadpanned voice. "We're here to kill you, Goku."

"Dr. Gero has been watching you all for years, Goku, studying your forms and attacks," his sister continued, speaking in turns.

"You may have destroyed the Red Ribbon Army, but you didn't destroy his research," the young man said. "And thus, the spy bots were born."

"And later on… us," the woman finished.

Gohan blanched. She was an Android? They were all Androids?

"There were only supposed to be two!" he thought. "What's going on?"

"This is Android Seventeen," the heavy Android said, gesturing to the man beside him. "This is Android Eighteen," he continued, gesturing to the woman. "And I am Android Nineteen. We are the best of his creations."

"Hey, wait a second. You didn't happen to send a spy bot to Namek with us, did you?" Goku inquired.

"No," Nineteen replied. "Our bots attempted to follow you into space, but it seems they were destroyed upon leaving the planet's atmosphere. But that does not matter. We know exactly where you stand in terms of power, Son Goku."

Goku chuckled. "You underestimate me," he said, darkly. "You underestimate all of us. And that is your downfall."

"What?" the Seventeen asked.

With a small smile of victory, Gohan relaxed. Beside him, Piccolo eased as well. "Then you don't know what a Super Saiyan is," the Namekian said, almost sounding amused. He, too, had a secret weapon- his fusion with Nail.

"Super Saiyan?" Nineteen asked, testing the words on his tongue. Lights flashed behind his eyes as he searched his database for the phrase.

All while training, Goku and Gohan had stayed in their base form. They reasoned that if Super Saiyan was a type of energy magnifier, that they would be better suited to handle the power if they were stronger in their weakest forms. And if Dr. Gero hadn't seen them on Namek, there was no way the mad scientist could know about the power of a Super Saiyan.

Taking control of the situation, Goku's energy skyrocketed, and a scream escaped his thin lips. As soon as Gohan's power rose in response, Piccolo gripped the boy's shoulder tightly. Sensing Piccolo's intention, Gohan stood back as his father finished transforming by himself.

"Don't show all your cards at once," Piccolo warned, his voice echoing in Gohan's head via telepathy.

Goku stood in his golden aura, taking a moment to catch his breath. Sweat beaded down his face.

Looking at his father closely, Gohan could tell something was amiss. He turned to look at his mother, standing slightly behind the group. She felt it, too. Something was… off. His father's energy seemed to be strained.

"Everyone," Goku called. "This is my fight. Don't interfere. How about it, Nineteen? Just you and me?"

"Impressive," Nineteen said flatly. "But it will still not be enough to defeat me."

Seventeen and Eighteen stepped away, as did the Z-Fighters.

"Show me what you got!" Goku yelled, charging into the leading Android.

Dancing around Nineteen, Goku blocked and parried every attack. Gohan watched carefully, noticing that despite his father's great defence, he seemed unable to land an attack of his own. The Android seemed to be on high alert, his reflexes just as sharp as the Saiyan's.

The Android manifested an energy blast, and just as he released it, Goku phased out of sight. Reappearing behind his opponent, Goku slipped through the Android's guard and landed the first solid hit. Fist digging deeply against the Android's back, Goku shoved him away forcefully.

Determined not to lose, Nineteen attacked with a vengeance that shouldn't have been possible for a machine. The blows increased in speed and frequency, and Goku pushed himself harder.

The two remaining Androids watched the fight with growing impatience. They itched to join the fray. Despite feeling no guilt about breaking a deal, they both decided to wait for the best time to strike.

Giving the Android a thorough thrashing, Goku flew back a few feet, regaining some distance to recuperate. Only minutes had passed, yet he was already short of breath. His chest felt tight, and his lungs couldn't properly fill with air.

Sensing an opportunity, the Android struck Goku. Goku grabbed the outstretched fist and instead threw his enemy to the side, sending Nineteen crashing to the ground.

Now heavily panting, Goku descended to see Nineteen walk out of the crater unscathed. The Saiyan stumbled as he hit the ground, and stood rather off-balance. His chest rose with every laborious gasp.

Building up a ball of energy in his hands, Goku began to chant.

"Ka-me-"

A chorus of cries interrupted him.

"Goku, stop!" Chi-Chi screamed.

"Dad!"

"Something's wrong with him," Yamcha announced, and Krillin nodded in agreement.

His energy dissipating, veins bulged in Goku's neck and forearms. He fell to one knee, clutching the left side of his chest.

"I can't… I can't lose," Goku breathed. This battle was too important for him to back down!

Escaping Krillin's tight grip on her wrist, Chi-Chi ran to her husband. "Goku!" She yelled.

"Mom, no!" Gohan cried out. Piccolo immediately clutched Gohan around his waist, intent on not letting the boy throw himself into danger.

Nineteen, clearly amused, threw an energy blast at Chi-Chi. She managed to deflect it with both arms flinging the blast into the air, but at the cost of leaving her torso exposed. With a swift kick, Nineteen launched her out of the way.

The seconds blurred to Goku as he felt the Android attack him once more, now fully taking the beating. With a hard punch to the chest, Goku fell out of his Super Saiyan state. Falling on his back, Goku barely saw Nineteen pounce on him. But he certainly felt the metallic hand wrapped around his windpipe.

Chi-Chi was up and running again, a thin trail of blood streaming from her clavicle.

Krillin, deciding that this had officially become a battle royale, flew toward Nineteen as well. Seventeen and Eighteen, now jealous of the fun, decided to strike.

All hell had broken loose, the chaos only magnified when a new figure emerged, crashing into Nineteen, knocking the Android off of Goku.

Vegeta stared at the Android in disgust. "Tell me," he said in an eerily calm voice. "Does an Android like yourself feel fear?"

And for once, Gohan couldn't have been happier to see Vegeta.

His mother rushed to Goku's side once more, and she fed him a Senzu bean. Not seeing his condition improve, she shouted, "I'm getting him out of here!" She tried to fly off with the larger man limp in her arms, but the twin Androids phased in front of her.

A brilliant flash of light temporarily stunned all of the warriors, organic and Android alike.

"He's a Super Saiyan, too?!" Yamcha yelled.

Gohan had never been so, so glad to see Vegeta.

Miles away, the Mastermind behind the Androids began to pace back and forth.

"Failure is not a possible outcome," Dr. Gero growled. "It's not a scenario I have accounted for, and it never will be... I will defeat Son Goku, and I will take my rightful place as King of the World!"

He brought his fist down hard on the steel table in front of him, nearly breaking a few knuckles in his blind rage.

Dr. Gero stalked toward the darkest corner of his hidden laboratory. He turned into an alcove, almost completely obstructed from view due to the lighting. A hole sat in the carved, stone floor, with a metal ladder leading to a downward path. Reaching the end of the mysterious tunnel, he walked for several minutes. Finally, he reached a pair of steel double doors, and pushed them open. They slid back without so much as a squeak, and Gero paused in front of the culmination of his life's work.

Floating in a giant, fluid-filled incubation chamber, was Cell.

At first, Gero had considered simply ending his espionage after Goku's first fight with Vegeta. Yet he decided to humour his nemesis by resuming the spy bots' operation. And so, shortly after Goku had returned to his home in the mountains, the spy bots gathered visual data once more, along with basic energy readings.

"I am a genius," he chuckled. To combat Goku's ever-growing power, he had worked tirelessly to speed up Cell's growth process. Cell would now awake years earlier than originally planned, and he would be stronger than the doctor had ever thought possible. The mad scientist was confident that his creation could defeat Goku without much trouble- even with this strange new blonde form of his.

He pulled the scanner from his pocket once more. Android Nineteen was completely offline- presumably destroyed. Androids Seventeen and Eighteen appeared to be engaged in combat. His eyes narrowed. This was one battle he couldn't afford to lose.

With a few last minute preparations, Dr. Gero drained Cell's growth chamber. The green, medium-sized creature within stirred in its induced slumber. With one last password entry, the reinforced glass encasing his last resort slid down.

The monster took its first breath.


	9. Panicking

Future Trunks had arrived shortly after the battle royale began.

With his appearance causing a distraction, Yamcha and Gohan were able to successfully relocate Goku. After picking up the heart virus medicine at their home, Gohan convinced Yamcha to take Goku to Capsule Corp. It was only logical to assume that their home would be the Androids' first stop, should their friends be unable to hold them off.

Gohan's living grandfather, the Ox King, met them there after not being able to find his family in their mountain home. He kept Gohan and Goku company while Yamcha stayed on high alert, following the energy signals of his friends from Goku's bedside.

Mere minutes later, the Androids finally made their escape. After crushing all the fighters to within an inch of their life, the brother and sister flew off, bored and moody. Thankfully, they were unable to sense energy, otherwise Goku's location would have been discovered immediately.

The Z-Fighters eventually recovered enough to eat some senzu beans. Following their revival, they sensed their comrades out and immediately regrouped at Bulma's house.

They had just finished talking strategy when Goku's screams had finally subsided. With him now in a fitful sleep, Piccolo was able to catch a sound byte from the television in the other room. He rushed out of the kitchen without warning, and the others followed him.

To their horror, they saw dozens of clothes scattered across empty streets.

Thousands of people missing, gone, vanished- suddenly, and without any reason.

"Could this be the Androids' doing?" Krillin asked, eyes glued to the large screen.

Vegeta shook his head, as did Trunks.

"No, this isn't the Androids," the teen muttered.

"Which means, we have yet another adversary," Vegeta confirmed.

"Where did this all go wrong?" Trunks wondered aloud. He slouched down in a chair, tanned hands obscuring his face.

Gohan sat across from his father, cross-legged. A day had passed since the forlorn newscast, and he had been meditating non-stop, trying to induce a vision or otherwise contact Bardock.

"Why did they suddenly stop?" He demanded. The room was silent save for his father's light tossing and turning. No one was present to answer. "What happened? Or rather, what will happen? I thought I'd be cursed with those damn visions until I-

A thought suddenly struck him.

"Until I die," he mumbled, frozen in place. "I'm… no, no, no. I'm… going to die soon."

The 10-year-old boy slumped forward in a daze, the stress from the situation finally causing him to break down and cry.

Piccolo had left for the lookout to speak with Kami. He wouldn't give Gohan any more details than that.

Krillin, Yamcha, and Trunks had gone off to investigate the mysterious ghost towns popping up everywhere.

Tien disappeared to gather Chiaotzu and Roshi, in case they needed all the help they could get.

Vegeta went off in search of the Androids.

Gohan could feel Bulma and baby Trunks still downstairs, with his mother. Thankfully, his mother wasn't experienced enough to feel the more subtle, emotional changes in someone's energy.

And his father was busy dying…

Alone, Gohan let his emotions take control. He cried until his stomach ached as much as his heart.

Piccolo's life force was fading. Twenty-something hours had now passed since Vegeta and Trunks had entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, yet Cell seemed to be growing stronger by the hour.

Gohan couldn't wait any longer.

"No! I can't do this!" He yelled, voice cracking.

He turned to face his father. "Forget the plan. Stay if you want to," he snarled, his eyes flashing teal in his rage. "I'm done being your secret weapon! I'm going. Now."

Aura springing up around him, Gohan powered up in the thin air of the Lookout. Concentrating on Piccolo's energy, he raised two fingers to his head.

"Gohan!"

He heard footsteps behind him. Too enraged to be able to properly lock on to Piccolo's energy, Gohan instead leapt into the air, ready to fly from the Lookout-

And out of nowhere, his father's fist came crashing into his face.

Flying backwards onto the white tiled floor, Gohan shook the haze from his eyes.

"Long time no see," a voice said.

Perking up, Gohan met a pair of dark eyes.

"Bardock!" He shouted, overwhelmed with joy to see his paternal grandfather again.

He ran up to the man and, despite Bardock's vehement protests, hugged him around his waist.

"Yeah, yeah, enough with that, alright?" Bardock said, clearly agitated by the affection.

"I thought you were gone forever," the boy said. "I thought… I thought I was gone forever."

A hand ruffled his long, wild hair. Beneath Gohan's soft-soled shoes, he could feel the slight crunch of gravel. Turning to look at his surroundings, they appeared to be in the same place he had last seen Bardock. But instead of a tournament stage, it was a battlefield.

The precise, off-white tiles had been blown to bits and scattered across the grassy plain. The nearby mountains had crumbled into themselves, seemingly from outside forces. The ground itself was bare of grass and littered with craters and scorch marks.

"And to think, you would've never seen it like this," Bardock mused.

"What?" Gohan said, blinking up at the Saiyan.

"You should know by now to think further ahead in terms of consequences," the man reprimanded. "You're a smart boy, Gohan. Are you sure you don't know what I'm talking about?"

The boy gasped. "Mr. Piccolo!" He stammered. "I was going to go help him and then- my dad, he- I couldn't quite sense his energy, so I tried to fly- but Dad-"

"Yes," Bardock surmised. "Had he not punched you, you would've teleported to Piccolo, faced Cell, and then died. But with your impatient decision to fly, your father was able to intercept you."

"So all this time, it was true," Gohan said, suddenly feeling very small in the grand scheme of the universe. "The visions, they had stopped. I really was going to die."

Bardock nodded. "And I can't let that happen," he said, voice hard. "My fate very literally depends on your survival."

"Wait, what?"

When Bardock didn't reply, Gohan pressed him again. Grabbing onto the straps of his grandfather's armour, he shook the older man. "What do you mean, your fate depends on me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" the child demanded.

With a single palm strike, Bardock shoved the preteen away.

"You'll find out," he said, a sarcastic smile curling into his lips. "But only if you live. So stay alive, will you, boy?"

"What are you- Bardock?" Gohan paused, frantic as his grandfather faded from view. "Bardock? Bardock!"

"What's a Bardock?"

Gohan opened his eyes to see Mr. Popo fawning over him, and his father standing nearby with a confused look on his face.

"What?"

"You were unconscious, just for a minute," Goku clarified. "And you said- nevermind."

An uncomfortable look crossed the Saiyan's face, before he grew angry again. "Look, either way, you are not helping Piccolo right now, understood?

Mr. Popo helped Gohan sit up. "It's okay, Gohan," the dark man said. "You're alright."

"Dad-"

"You would've been killed, son," Goku snapped. Gohan reeled back in surprise. He couldn't recall the last time his father had been angry with him.

His blood burned, and almost in defiance, Gohan spat, "I'd rather die than do nothing to help Piccolo." Though as soon as the words left his mouth, some small part of him detested the claim. And Gohan felt ashamed. "Piccolo would never turn his back on us, Dad," he said, his voice more controlled.

Jaw clenched tightly, Goku turned away.

"Gohan," Mr. Popo said gently. "Your dad is hurting, too."

His dad? Hurting? But his dad had never been anything but strong, anything but determined, anything but optimistic and carefree and-

"Just as much as you and I," the genie continued. "You must know that. And you must know that Piccolo wouldn't want you to die- he'd want you to live. Hasn't he proven that time and time again?"

Tears formed in the corners of Gohan's eyes. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears, and he tried to stifle the rising feelings within him.

A burst of power knocked Gohan out of his despair. He and Mr. Popo looked up to see a glow engulfing Goku, despite him still standing in his base form.

"Daddy," Gohan whispered.

"I know it's hard to believe, Gohan," Mr. Popo continued. "But it's just as hard for him to wait as it is for you. He may be your father, but he is first and foremost a person of his own. He lives and feels, just as you do."

For the first time in his life, Gohan saw his father as more than just his father. Looking past the familial term, he saw an individual in pain. Based on his own age, Gohan figured his father to be around 28 years old. Goku was still fairly young, despite all the things he's experienced in life.

"I guess you don't stop learning and growing as a person, just because you're an adult," Gohan silently realized.

He stood up, quietly thanking Mr. Popo for his help. Then he stepped toward his father.

"Daddy?" he said. "I'm sorry. For everything."

"It's okay, Gohan," his father replied, still facing away. "I'm sorry I knocked you out. But I need you to promise me something."

"What?"

Goku turned to face his son. He lowered himself on one knee, his face pinched tightly as if he was in pain.

"Promise me that you'll help me do whatever it takes to defeat Cell," he said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

And for Gohan, it was.

"I promise."

When Vegeta and Trunks finally emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber hours later, Goku and Gohan entered.

They were training when the announcement aired, completely unaware that the stakes had just been raised.

"I am Cell."

The majority of Z-Fighters crowded around the television on Kame House.

"I have a message for all the people of Earth. Now pay close attention, little ones…"

Chi-Chi shivered at the sound of his smooth baritone voice. His speech was disturbingly charismatic.

"For those of you who don't recognize me, take a closer look at my face- do you remember the big, bad monster of Nickytown? I am the evolved form of that creature."

Trunks closed his eyes, remembering the deafening silence of Nickytown.

"I am here to announce my decision to hold a martial arts tournament. I'm calling it… The Cell Games."

Yamcha leaned forward, a hand partially covering his mouth in horror.

"The Cell Games will be held nine days from today, in area S.5, 28 miles northeast of Eastern City. Bring me your best fighters…"

Krillin bit his lip, committing the coordinates to memory.

"You must fight for your planet. Because if I win… you are all mine."

Bulma clutched her infant closer to her chest.

"Standard World Martial Arts Tournament rules apply. I do hope you'll find the courage to come play."

As Cell began to destroy the television studio in a demonstration of power, Roshi turned off the television.

And for the first time ever at Kame House, all was still.

The week before the Cell Games, Gohan's visions returned with regularity, as they were nearly two years ago.

The break in their appearance seemed to have altered how far in advance he could see- that, or they were in more trouble than they realized. Gohan caught a few glimpses of the self-proclaimed Perfect Cell, though none of the episodes were truly enlightening. They would have to wait and see.

His father insisted they take the week off from training. His mother had- with a lot of insistence, and much less enthusiasm- gone into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Piccolo after her boys had come out. That day, Goku and Gohan had spent with some father-son bonding. And the day after, Gohan was sent to Chazke Village for groceries while Goku and Chi-Chi had some alone time. The days passed, quickly and without much fuss.

Mr. Popo came strolling out of the ivory palace, a small model of the dragon on a silver display. He lifted the glass lid to the delicate statue, and he set the piece in front of Piccolo.

Bulma came forward and set the now-stone set of dragon balls next to the statue.

"Are you sure about this, Piccolo?" she asked, knowing the Namek preferred a more active role in their gang.

"We do not have much of a choice," Piccolo griped. "If this means that we'll still have dragon balls… I'm willing to sacrifice my freedom."

"It is indeed fortunate that the Nameless Namekian was of the Dragon Class," Mr. Popo stated absently. "Otherwise, you would not have this unique ability, Piccolo."

With a grunt of acknowledgement, Piccolo raised one hand above the carved dragon. He spoke several long sentences in the Namekian language and white light radiated from his hands in strobe-like patterns. Finally, yellow beams shot forth from his hands, curving into the air before plummeting back down and into each of the wish-granting orbs.

All at once, lightning clashed through the sky, and every orb flashed until the stone balls changed from the inside out. Not a second later, the set of red-starred dragon balls returned to its active state.

"Wow, that was fast," Bulma noticed.

"Indeed," Mr. Popo said, collecting the balls once more to store them inside.

Piccolo spent the night on the lookout for the first time, his stomach twisted into knots about his choice.

Just as he did the morning of the Android's arrival less than a month ago, Gohan woke up early on the morning of the Cell Games. Still in his constant Super Saiyan form, he dressed in his gi, ate breakfast with his parents, and helped his mother wash the dishes.

Chi-Chi would be attending the Cell Games- a compromise she and Goku came to when Goku insisted on bringing their only child to the stage of the very literal end-of-the-world. Hence, why she agreed to train with Piccolo. By design of the Room of Spirit and Time, he needed a second person to ensure the alternate dimension wouldn't swallow him alive, and she needed every weapon in her arsenal in order to protect her family.

Taking flight with his family, Gohan suppressed a smile at the recollection of her inviting Piccolo over for dinner the previous night. And he couldn't help but laugh out loud when he remembered the look on his mentor's face as the Namekian blushed before agreeing.

"What's so funny?" his mother asked, flying next to him amongst the clouds.

The boy simply smiled. He knew his father planned to have him fight Cell. And judging by the return of his visions, they would all survive the Cell Games.

Ordinarily, he would have thought his mother's familiarity toward Piccolo would mean the end of the world. But he knew for a fact that the Earth was going to be okay.

"Nothing," Gohan answered, large, lopsided grin still stuck to his young face.

His mother smiled at his childish antics, the growing lines around her eyes crinkling slightly.

"We're here," Goku called back to them.

The smiles fell.


	10. Hurt

The Sons arrived last.

Gohan took a deep breath. He recognized the arena instantly. This was where he had seen Bardock several times. This was where the fate of the world would be decided.

"Does it ever stop?" he briefly wondered. "Or will there always be another bad guy, stronger than the last?" He hoped otherwise. Despite the plan his father had formed in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Gohan did not like to fight. Training, sparring- yes. But he didn't lust for battle as the full-blooded Saiyans did. He didn't relish the challenge. He didn't look forward to the next chance to test himself. He feared death, especially the thought of causing it.

Cell uncrossed his arms.

"Welcome everyone," he told the Z-Fighters.

The world watched on as Mr. Satan, the World Martial Arts champion as of three weeks prior, paraded around the stage. Yet as he unleashed a flurry of attacks on Cell, the giant bioandroid simply smacked him away, as if the man was no more than an annoying insect. Mr. Satan flew into a tall rock formation, sending a cloud of dust and dirt into the air. The man tumbled down the side, fifty feet or so, and landed in a heap of limbs.

Gohan closed his eyes as he felt the man's life force drop dangerously low. This could've been avoided, but now was not the time to dwell on one man's mistake. Not when Cell held the world hostage.

The reporter began to shout, the cameraman behind him quaking in his boots.

Sensing Cell's patience running thin, Goku stepped up to the ring.

The half-Saiyan boy watched carefully, analysing Cell's movements throughout the fight. When his father proclaimed his own defeat, their allies began to panic.

"What a shame," Cell grinned. "Though if it's any consolation, I'll be sure to take good care of this little mudball you call a planet."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Cell," Goku replied, as calm as ever. "I'm done, but the tournament isn't. There's still one fighter you need to face. And he's even stronger than I am."

Cell quirked a brow. "Oh?" He said, amused. "And who might this fighter be?"

Goku raised his voice. "Come on down, Gohan!"

Ignoring the chorus of protests behind him, Gohan threw off his imitation of Piccolo's cape.

Grabbing the boy by the wrist, Chi-Chi screamed, "You can't be serious, Goku!" Bending slightly to look at her son, he turned away from her. "You are not fighting that thing," she told him sternly.

"I'm sorry, Mom," he muttered. Without warning, he shrugged out of her grip, knocking her off-balance. She chased after him as he flew down to the arena, but Goku swiftly intercepted her. She beat wildly on her husband's chest as he carried her back to the cliff that overlooked the designated battlegrounds.

"You bastard!" she shrieked, angry tears pouring from her eyes. "How could you? How could you do this to him?"

"Chi-Chi-"

"He's just a child!"

"Well, this was certainly unexpected," Cell laughed. "Sending children to fight your battles now, huh? Earthlings are so pathetic."

Gohan touched down on the scuffed white tiles and took his stance.

"Gohan, was it?" Cell sneered. "Do you have any last words?"

Receiving no answer, Cell's face scrunched in anger.

"I'll make this quick, then," he said, voice cold and hard.

The two fighters charged toward each other, exchanging heated blows.

"Not bad," Cell quipped, stepping back to break contact. "You're a decent warm-up, but I'm getting bored."

"I'll show you my power if you show me yours," Gohan finally said. He figured that if this creature did indeed have the genetic material of his father, Vegeta, and Frieza, he would be concealing his full power in order to up the dramatics.

"Ah, like father like son," Cell grinned. An aura grew around Cell, and his revolting conglomerate of energies exploded. He clenched and unclenched his fists. "Yes, that feels much better," he said. "Your turn."

With a nod, Gohan widened his stance, arms up by his sides. With a raw, throaty yell, a wild wind battered combatants and spectators alike. Cell's callous smirk dropped as his vision cleared.

Thanks to his father's brutal training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Gohan almost immediately unleashed the full power of his Super Saiyan form.

His raw power had completely obliterated the ring. His golden aura rolled off his frame in controlled waves, his turquoise eyes had hardened, and his musculature had expanded slightly. His boyish features were gone, and in their place was a stern, unforgiving expression. The ZTV camera began to spark as soon as the transformation peaked.

"You!" Cell stuttered. He looked up at Goku. "You tried to sandbag me?"

Goku shrugged. "Not my fault you looked at my son and saw only a child," he said, nonchalant. "That's one of the core lessons of martial arts philosophy. Never underestimate your opponent. There will always be someone out there who is better and stronger. And today, that person is Gohan."

Chi-Chi looked up at her husband in surprise, still trapped between his arms. Her senses were on overload from the sheer force of her son's untapped power.

"I can't believe it," she mumbled.

"I know," Goku agreed, watching as Cell and Gohan started fighting once more. "I can't believe how powerful he is, either."

"No," Chi-Chi said, growing stiff in her husband's embrace. Goku knew that if given the chance, she would jump in the midst of the fight to protect her son, and so he continued to hold her back. "No, I can't believe you turned our child into a weapon!"

Hurt by her words, Goku reeled back in shock, loosening his grip on her.

She pushed him away from her, but surprisingly, didn't run to her only son. She stood apart from the other fighters, simply watching with one hand pressed tightly against her heart.

"Chi-Chi," he called softly, reaching out to hold her.

She smacked his hand away. "Don't touch me," she hissed. And then she looked away.

While the fight appeared to be fairly even at first, the odds quickly tipped in Cell's favour. He continued to increase his power as they fought, but Gohan did not.

Taking yet another punch to the gut, Gohan hit the earth hard, his impact creating another small crater in the empty field.

"Funny," Cell said. "I could've sworn you were hiding more power. Guess I was wrong for once."

He phased out of sight and reappeared behind Gohan, who was struggling to his feet. Cell delivered a kick to the boy's lower back, knocking Gohan into the air.

"Gohan!" Goku shouted. "You're still holding back- I can feel it. Unleash your full power!"

Flying at top speed, Cell caught up to the boy in an instant. From behind him, the creature wrapped his arms around Gohan's midsection and began to squeeze. The only sound for miles was the sound of Gohan's ear-piercing screams.

This time, it was Krillin who stopped Chi-Chi from interfering. "You don't stand a chance," he told his student honestly. "I know you want to help him. Believe me, I do, too. But he's the strongest out of all of us. He still stands a chance, but we'd only be killed."

"Let go of me!" she howled, her energy exploding around her. Krillin had to power up just to keep his hold on her.

"She's right," Piccolo snapped. "I've had enough of this spectacle. As Earth's new Guardian, I cannot fight, so I demand you put an end to this farce!"

"No!" Goku said sharply. "Just wait. Any second now, he's going to get mad. And then you'll really see what he can do. I caught just a glimpse of it in the time chamber, but-"

"You're wrong about your son," Piccolo yelled back. "Gohan may have that power, but it doesn't matter! Cell keeps powering up, but have you thought about why Gohan lost his momentum? He doesn't enjoy fighting for his life. He wants to be a scholar! You don't know anything about your own damn son!"

Goku turned to Piccolo, eyes wide as that last phrase in particular struck him.

"Do you want to know what he's thinking right now?" Piccolo continued, getting into Goku's face. "He's in pain, and he's wondering why his friends and family are just standing there, content to watch him die!"

Hands shaking, Goku looked to Chi-Chi, who was still struggling against the strongest human in the world. She was hysterical at the sound of their child's bones slowly breaking.

"Your son may be the strongest being in the world," Piccolo sneered, "but he's still a scared, 11-year-old boy. So damn it, Goku! Do something, or I will!"

"GOHAN!" Red energy swirled around Chi-Chi, knocking Krillin off his feet. Finally free, she rocketed forward at an alarming pace, her maternal instincts in overdrive.

Frozen in place, Goku could only watch. And for the first time in his life, he felt an intense fear seize him.

Cell dropped Gohan as Chi-Chi dove for the Android's tall, horned head.

She had spent so long waiting for her little boy to come back from that fateful reunion almost six years ago, only to discover that her husband was dead and her toddler was kidnapped by a demonic alien. Then her boy was forced to fight for his life, nearly dying just of exhaustion at the conclusion of the Saiyan invasion. He went to Namek against her will, had his neck broken by some overgrown Ginyu thug, and was beaten within an inch of his life. Gohan had then made the incredibly emotional transformation into the legendary Super Saiyan at such a young age.

And still, she had waited back at their little mountain cottage- just waited for him to come home like a good little homemaker. She waited for their deaths to come for three years while training for the Androids. She waited for her husband to succumb to the radical new heart virus. She waited for the Cell Games to arrive, even as she spent nearly every morning throwing up into the toilet. And now she had waited too long- her son needed her.

She was done waiting!

Cell flew backwards, tumbling into a mountain. Chi-Chi immediately dropped down to check on Gohan, ignoring the severe cramping in her lower abdomen.

"Gohan?" She cried. "Gohan, are you-"

Cell rammed her from behind, battering her with punches too fast to block before finally knocking her down with a devastating kick to the stomach.

"This game is over," he spat. "Not that you were ever really a player."

Goku couldn't reach her in time. The blast burned through her torso without any resistance.

Gohan screamed.

Lives flashed before his eyes. His own, the life he shared with his mother and father; Bardock's life, how his ancestors had been erased from existence without any remorse; and the lives of countless others throughout history.

In the flurry of snapshots, he could've sworn he saw Cell's perfect form being shredded to pieces by blue a thick, blue energy blast.

But at the moment, he couldn't tell the difference. In that moment, he was living through all of it.

In that moment, Cell had killed his mother.

He was angry.

In an instant, the lone camera had exploded. Goku rammed into Cell without hesitation, and beat the Android without a shred of mercy. His blonde hair stood straighter than ever, standing on end while blue electricity crackled around him. With a final scream, the Ascended Super Saiyan blasted through Cell's torso.

The monster's limbs burst from his body in a frenzy, scattering across the wasteland. Goku stood in front of Cell, panting as the effects from the heart virus still lingered in his system, his heart still heavily damaged despite surviving the disease.

Heads whipped around as something a hundred feet behind Goku exploded.

Emerging from the debris was Gohan.

Similar to that of his father's, the boy's tall, blonde hair blew aimlessly in the artificially-generated wind. Several of the Z-Fighters struggled to stay standing as Gohan's oppressive power infiltrated their bodies. Sparks of blue energy erratically snapped around his body, with similar bolts of lightning dropping around him from the sky.

"Cell," a deep, gruff voice said. It was Gohan's mouth moving, but it was not his voice, that much was clear. "You'll pay for that."

Suddenly, the boy was behind the stump that was Cell, his hand sticking cleanly through what was left of the beast's torso.

Cell coughed and gagged on his own green blood. Gohan removed his arm, allowing Cell to drop down, right across from Goku, who was hunched over in a similar position.

"Finish him off!" Krillin shouted. "You can do this, Gohan!"

Grabbing the back of Cell's neck, Gohan flung the Android behind him, as if tossing a ragdoll. Cell rolled through the dirt, stunned and utterly terrified by this new Gohan.

"No," the boy said, much to everyone's shock. "I want him to suffer."

"Gohan!" Piccolo's voice reverberated through mountains. "This isn't you, Gohan! You need to control your power!"

With a dark chuckle, Cell coughed up spittle, slime, and purple blood.

"You should've listened to your Namekian," he said. His purple eyes suddenly dilated and began to glow. "If I'm going down, I'm going to take this whole planet with me."

Snapping back to his senses, Gohan felt an immense fear and shame grip him as Cell's words sunk in.

He had to end this, and fast- before Cell finds the opportunity to regenerate his limbs, or do something worse.

He had to end Cell before Cell ended anyone else.

Decision made, Cell struggled to activate the bomb mechanism built into his core.

"Masenko-"

Hands thrown above his head, Gohan gathered an astounding amount of energy into his palms.

Cell bulged slightly, racing to swell up before Gohan could-

"Ha!"

A terrifying howl escaped Cell as the silvery-blue energy tore through the last remnants of his perfect form, every single cell destroyed in the blast.

Moments later, Gohan collapsed.


	11. Miserable

He couldn't smell it, but he could see it. There was blood all over their living room floor.

A large, crimson puddle sat smeared into the beige area rug. The blood looked chunky, as though bits of flesh had been torn from whoever had been wounded.

Gohan nearly jumped a foot in the air when someone tried to push a senzu bean between his lips.

"Oh, hey, buddy," Krillin said, voice low and soft. "You're awake. Go ahead and eat this."

Recognizing his surroundings as the Lookout, Gohan took the dried up bean. His fatigue melted away as he swallowed, and he stood to look for his parents. The vision faded to the back of his mind, and right now all he wanted was the comfort of his loved ones.

Since Kami had fused with Piccolo, Kami's dragon balls had become inactive. There had been talk of finding a new Guardian before the Cell Games, but no one had the slightest idea of how to find New Namek. Thus, the moment of truth.

A hand rested on Gohan's shoulder.

"We wanted to wait until you woke up," Yamcha said. "We thought you'd want to see the new dragon balls being made."

Not really hearing the words, Gohan finally located his parents. Several yards away, the other Z-Fighters had shifted away to give the boy some privacy. Gohan approached, and for once in his life, he didn't feel anything.

He just felt… empty.

Crouching down next to his mother, he ran a finger through her long, black hair. It had come out of its tight bun and now fell freely around her shoulders. He looked at her pale face in a new light, noticing for the first time that his mother was actually quite beautiful.

Gohan looked to his father for guidance, who was lying down next to her. But the dark-haired man didn't appear to notice his presence. Extending his senses, Gohan didn't feel the familiar pressure of his father's energy against his own.

A shadow passed over his parents, and Gohan stiffened.

"Your father had a heart attack shortly after he ascended to the next level," Piccolo explained. "Perhaps the medicine only bought him some time, without actually curing him. Or, it's also possible that the strain of Super Saiyan 2 was just too much for his damaged heart. There's no real way to tell."

Shaking, Gohan stood next to Piccolo.

"I'm sorry," the Namekian said, pulling Gohan close to him in a rare display of public affection. The boy reacted immediately, clutching onto his best friend as the shock finally wore off. Despair engulfed him almost immediately, and his sobs were muffled only by the fabric of Piccolo's gi.

The Z-Fighters allowed the orphaned boy to grieve freely, respecting his space as his heartwrenching wails reached their ears. They also let their tears fall, fists clenched tightly against torn and dusty clothing. Only when Gohan had cried himself dry did they approach. And as one, they gathered around the stone dragon balls.

"I don't know enough about this type of magic to wildly alter the wishing capabilities," Piccolo said. "We have two wishes instead of one, but it still cannot bring Goku back. I'm sorry, kid- it's the best I could do."

"Piccolo," Gohan whispered through sobs. "Thank you."

"Would you like to summon the dragon?" Mr. Popo asked Gohan. The boy gave a tired smile and accepted. He sniffed, desperately trying to compose himself for this honour.

"Arise, Shenron!"

The weeks following the Cell Games were some of the hardest for Gohan.

Firstly, the Z-Fighters held two funerals, back-to-back in the following days. The first was Goku's. The world held a funeral shortly thereafter, for the legendary Ox King.

After spending so much time with Goku while he was sick, the Ox King had also contracted the deadly heart virus. His first symptoms appeared just days after Goku's memorial service. So, with all the futuristic medicine gone, the tight-knit group had been forced to watch another friend die a slow, agonizing death.

Fortunately, a physician friend of Bulma's had tested the others for any sign of the fatal condition, and everyone came back with negative results. Everyone had been particularly worried about Gohan, but Bulma hypothesised that perhaps his unique hybrid traits had saved him yet again. Watching the news carefully, Bulma only saw a handful of cases before the virus seemingly disappeared altogether. While its lifespan was short, its impact would last forever.

Another concern was the discovery that was Chi-Chi pregnant. Not only was she still grieving over the loss of her husband and father, in addition to coming to terms with her own death, but now she had to concern herself with raising a second child alone. Shenron had resurrected her as she was before her death. She had taken damage from Cell while pregnant, and no one had any idea how this would affect a half-Saiyan fetus, or if the mystical dragon would have automatically reversed that damage as well.

Either way, she knew the stress alone would kill her.

"If only I had been faster," Gohan lamented, absently doodling in his notebook. "If only I had fought harder. All that power inside of me, and I didn't even know."

Gohan had quickly taken on more responsibility in the Son household. Though true to Chi-Chi's character, the woman tried to remain strong for the sake of her son, all while making sure he didn't fall behind on the homework he'd missed. Perhaps the advanced lessons would help him get through his grief.

It was a quiet afternoon when Chi-Chi knew.

"Gohan!" she called suddenly.

The boy in question looked up from his desk, unnerved by her tone of voice. She didn't sound mad, but she didn't sound happy either. He stood from his desk and walked to his bedroom door, cautious of his mother's exceptional mood swings.

He had just reached the hallway when he realized he could barely feel her energy. He jumped down the staircase in one swift movement, racing into the living room to help her.

There was blood everywhere.

His mother lay in a heap across from the television, the bottom half of her dress soaked in blood. Thick globs stuck to the area rug beside her as she struggled to crawl away from the mess. Heart racing, he scooped her up into his arms and flew to the front door.

For as long as he lived, he would never forget that smell. The smell of death and decay.

"I'm alright, Gohan," she said, her sad eyes looking into her son's. "I'm alright, just take me to the hospital, okay?"

Full comprehension didn't dawn on him until the Super Saiyan was halfway to Orange Star City.

"The... the baby..." he realized, the slow words tumbling from his mouth before he could hold them back. He looked down at the woman in his arms.

She held him tighter, the wind stealing the whimpers from her throat.

Every television in the hospital was playing the same three interviews with Mr. Satan on repeat. Apparently, the man had taken credit for defeating Cell.

Slumping deeper into the plastic chair, Gohan waited for his mother's doctor to find him.

He supposed that in another lifetime, he could find it in his heart to forgive Mr. Satan. After all, it's probably what his father would've done.

But his father was dead, so he supposed those values didn't particularly matter at the moment.

Cell had killed his mother. And in forcing Goku to ascend, Cell had killed his father, too. And here was the world champion, belittling the 'tricksters' who truly saved the planet.

"It was a bunch of smoke and mirrors," the voice of Mr. Satan said, laughing. "They shoulda known I'd see right through them!"

Closing his eyes, Gohan tried to relax. After all, his mother may not receive the best medical care if he accidentally blew up the hospital.

"Is there a Mr. Son here?"

Gohan stood. "That's me," he said, sprinting to the tall doctor. "How is she? How's my mother?"

The doctor looked uneasy. "Where's your father, son? Are you the only one here?"

"He's dead," Gohan said flatly. "I'm the one who brought her here. Is she okay?"

Sighing, the doctor nodded. "She'll be fine."

"Thank you," Gohan breathed. "Oh, thank you." He clutched his chest, trying to mentally will his heart to slow down. He felt ready to collapse into a bundle of nerves. At the feeling of his wet gi, he vaguely remembered that he was still covered in his mother's blood.

"Though, I'm sorry to say that your little brother did not survive."

Gohan's breath caught.

"She was under a lot of stress," he mumbled, his voice cracking. "But as long as she's okay..."

The doctor looked taken aback. The woman's son couldn't have been older than ten or eleven, yet was taking the news very well. Little did he know that this was just one of many disasters the young man has had to face lately.

"Would you like to see her?"

Gohan followed the doctor's pointed finger, crossing the long hallway in just seconds. Fresh blood trickled through his fingers as his nails dug deeper into the palm of his hand.

"Mom!" Gohan practically yelled, rushing to the side of her bed. She was pale, and he could smell the lingering blood from underneath the sheets. It made him feel sick to his stomach, and he couldn't hold his tears back anymore.

"Have you seen the news, Gohan?" she raged, oblivious to her son's thoughts. "That damned buffoon-"

"I'm so sorry, Mom" he gushed. "I'm so sorry I didn't bring you here sooner! I should have noticed your energy dropping, and I should've brought you here sooner, or maybe grabbed a senzu bean instead, or maybe Bulma could've-

She tightened her grip on his hands. "Look at me, Gohan!" she commanded, her tired eyes wide with concern. Once her son's wet eyes met her own, her voice softened.

"This was not your fault," she said, gently but firmly. "If you want to blame anyone for this, blame Cell. But whatever you do, Gohan, do not put this on yourself. You brought me here, and you did everything you could."

"I'm just so sorry," the 11-year-old cried, his voice collapsing into sobs. "I didn't even know it was a boy. I was so excited to be a big brother, and I would've been so happy with a baby brother or a baby sister, and I know you always wanted a big family and now- and now you're just stuck with me-"

Chi-Chi pulled her son close to her chest, cutting off his emotional rambling with a tight hug. Her own cheeks became tear-stained seeing her son in so much distress.

"Gohan, you don't understand, sweetie," she said. "We were so lucky to even have you in the first place. Don't you get that?"

"What?" he sniffed, her face smothered against her collarbone. "What do you mean, Mom?"

"We didn't know it at the time, but your father was an alien," she told him, lovingly stroking the tears from his cheeks. "Cats and dogs can't have babies. Animal Earthlings like Oolong can't have babies with human Earthlings. Your dad was a Saiyan, and yet he was able to give me you."

Eyes wide, Gohan pulled away from her. "I never thought about it like that," he admitted, wiping his eyes with a sleeve. "I didn't even think..."

"You're one of a kind," she whispered, wiping his nose with the corner of her blanket. She smiled warmly, in the way that only a mother could. "I am so, so happy to have you, Gohan. It doesn't matter that I wanted more kids at one point. You are enough. _You will always be enough._"

"I love you, Mom," he said, swallowing hard.

"I love you too, Gohan."


	12. Regretful

Gohan groaned at the sound of his mother's shrill voice so early in the morning. Dark eyes now open, the 13-year-old boy stared at the space above his bed for a full minute, willing himself to wake up.

He yawned and tugged the blanket off of him, only to reveal a small tent in his pyjama pants. With a groan of exasperation, he fell back into bed, hands covering his face. The pulse between his legs, once noticed, soon became impossible to ignore. He wasn't sure when he had started waking up with this strange occurrence, but it had started fairly recently. He had a strong urge to do something about it, but he wasn't sure what exactly.

Over the past year or two, he had been feeling... off. He still studied, but it didn't bring him joy like it used to. He went through the motions to make his mother happy, and he often times didn't leave his bed if given the choice entirely. He didn't feel tired, but he didn't feel rested, either.

He didn't feel much of anything anymore.

Monitoring his mother's energy signal for a few seconds, he felt her moving around the kitchen area, probably finishing up breakfast. He was hungry, but he knew he couldn't go downstairs looking like this.

"This sucks," he thought, kicking the rest of his blanket off. He felt hot and bothered and agitated. Despite being able to sense energy, Gohan still looked to the door. Confirming he was alone with the door closed, he let a hand wander down his smooth stomach and into his boxer shorts.

A fumbling five minutes later, he came, crying out in pleasure and relief. He looked down at himself, his head spinning, lungs heaving, and groin tingling. What he could only presume was semen coated the inside of his boxers, as well as his right hand and lower abdomen.

The gratification was fleeting, and a strange sense of shame and disgust washed over Gohan.

While he wasn't quite sure what had just happened, he knew he probably shouldn't mention it to his mother. He sat up, ready to wait for his erection to deflate before using the bathroom.

Instead, a scream paralyzed him, and he found his mother standing in the doorway of his bedroom. Despite still wearing his underwear, Gohan lunged forward to pull the blanket over his body, and Chi-Chi slammed the door shut behind her as she leapt from the room.

Needless to say, breakfast was awkward.

After nearly ten minutes of silence, Chi-Chi spoke up. "Gohan?"

He didn't say anything, a deep, red flush still staining his cheeks, and ears. Instead, he merely slumped lower into his chair. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, so softly that she almost didn't hear him.

Eyes wide, Chi-Chi visibly backpedalled. "No, no!" She said, frantic. "I didn't mean- it's just- that's perfectly normal, Gohan. You know, it's normal- what you were doing, that is."

He met her eyes briefly before looking away again, still too mortified to say anything.

Chi-Chi took a deep breath before continuing, "If anyone should apologise, it should be me," she said. "I shouldn't have- well, I should have knocked. You're not a little boy anymore, as much as I want you to be. I felt your energy change and I thought- I though should check up on you-" she stopped, the words dying in her mouth.

"It's okay," Gohan said weakly.

She continued to speak as if she hadn't heard him, her mouth moving faster as she grew more emotional. "Ever since your father died, I've been so afraid. I lost him- I've lost him so many times." Her voice grew ragged and her eyes clouded over with grief. "I lost my Goku. And then Daddy. And then- and then I lost _him_-"

At the mention of her miscarriage, she broke down in sobs, tears seeping through her fingers as she tried to hide her face. His earlier shame completely forgotten, Gohan jumped out of his chair and rushed to his mother's side.

"Oh, Gohan! Oh my sweet little Gohan," she continued, engulfing him in a big hug. "I felt your energy spike. I thought something had happened! Oh, Gohan, I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to you!"

Seeing the strongest woman in the world collapse under the weight of her emotions shook Gohan to the core. Even as a child, before his mother had been able to manipulate energy, she was always a fearless and strong-willed woman. This was the woman who wore a brave throughout it all- the very same woman Gohan couldn't help but love and admire.

But now, she was falling apart.

Tears slipping down his own face, Gohan rubbed her back in the same way she did to him as a toddler. The same way she would've done to his baby brother, had he been born.

The thought of a sibling almost made him choke, and he felt his body began to tremble. His mother's arms wrapped around him, and for the first time he could truly remember, Gohan felt his age. He was no longer Earth's protector, defeater of Cell, the half-Saiyan saviour. He was a little boy, forced to grow up too fast and now destined to watch as his life continued to crumble around him.

Darkness crept into the edges of his vision- whether he was about to catch a glimpse of the future or pass out from crying, he didn't know. But his last conscious thought concerned the white bassinet still sitting in his mother's bedroom.

"If only I had killed Cell sooner," he thought with a shudder.

"Gohan," Bardock reprimanded.

"Leave me alone," Gohan replied, trying to curl up and hide his face. He was crying, and he hadn't cried this hard since-

A large hand rested on Gohan's shoulder, and the child flinched.

"It's not your fault, Gohan," Bardock said, his voice low. "If you want to blame someone, blame Cell. Blame Dr. Gero."

"Blaming them won't bring my dad back," Gohan sobbed. "It won't give me a little brother. It won't make my mom happy again."

"And blaming yourself will do all those things?" Bardock inquired.

"I just don't know what to do," the boy sniffed. "I don't want to do anything anymore. I just want my mom and dad back. I want my life back!"

Sighing, Bardock crouched down next to his grandson. "You're depressed, Gohan."

"What?"

"You're depressed," he repeated. "But you'll get through this. I know you can."

Launching himself through the air, Gohan latched onto Bardock, whose hands eventually returned the gesture.

"I'm here for you, kid."


	13. Content

The years passed in relative quiet.

Bardock and Gohan grew close. With limited father figures in his life, Gohan came to his grandfather with all the embarrassing questions after realising that Piccolo wouldn't be helpful. This opened the floodgates for more conversation, and despite Bardock's aversion to sentiment, he let his grandson talk about anything that bothered him. Even if it meant the occasional emotional breakdown.

Though not fully back to his old self, Gohan was doing much better.

The visions came fairly often, but were of little to no consequence- a glimpse of Piccolo guarding the Earth from his perch on the lookout; a peak of Vegeta threatening a trespassing reporter at Capsule Corp. It'd been a long time since Gohan's visions had been calm and non-disastrous, but he didn't mind.

The Earth was finally at peace.

"It ain't gonna last," Bardock said, his voice low as if he didn't want to disturb Gohan's thoughts. "You know that."

The tall teenager turned to see his Saiyan grandfather laying on the ground, arms folded underneath his head.

Gohan sighed, taking a seat next to the older man. The pair sat on yet another tournament stage, but Gohan knew it wasn't the Cell Games arena. For one, the tiles were still intact, but there were also tiered rows of seats surrounding them. Though this arena could easily seat thousands of spectators, Gohan and Bardock were alone in the boy's subconscious, as usual.

"Why?" Gohan finally asked.

Bardock raised an eyebrow. "Why what?"

"Why can't I just have a normal life?" Gohan sighed, looking off into the distance. "Why does peace never last? Why do I have visions? Why are my visions of you different from the others? Why are our fates connected in the first place? There's just so many questions, Gramps, and I never get any answers!"

Sitting up, the dead Saiyan cleared his throat. "I know, kid. I know you've had a difficult life, but…" he trailed off, unsure of you to comfort his grandson.

Running a hand through his thick hair, Gohan looked back to his grandfather. After a moment, he mumbled, "Thanks."

Confused, Bardock said, "For what? I didn't say anything."

"Thanks for being here."

"Gohan?" his mother said in a disapproving tone. He had been frozen in place for nearly a minute, his hand still poised to open the front door. The psychic connection broken, Gohan shook his head before sheepishly turning to face his mother.

"What's up, Mom?"

She walked up to him, arms crossed. "Is there any particular reason you're going out without a shirt?"

Hand scratching the back of his neck, Gohan chuckled. "Ah… nice weather?"

With a sigh, Chi-Chi's arms fell to her sides. "Listen, Gohan," she said. "If you're growing again, just tell me. I can get you new clothes-"

"Mom, it's fine-"

"No," she retorted, holding up a hand to silence him. "It's not fine! I'll not have my only child running around looking like some delinquent!"

Crossing his thick arms across a broad chest, Gohan looked down at his mother. Now sixteen, he had undergone several radical growth spurts lately. He now stood a head taller than his mother, and his increasing muscle mass certainly didn't help his wardrobe issue.

"I'm just going to see Piccolo, maybe train for a bit," Gohan argued. "You know Piccolo's not gonna care what I look like. He can even zap me a gi if I ask nicely."

"We are not taking handouts from the Earth's Guardian!" Chi-Chi exclaimed, appalled by the thought. "We are not that poor, Son Gohan! We're doing just fine. I'm the adult, so let me worry about running the household. I'm sure the Ox Kingdom doesn't want their only prince to run around half-naked either!"

He sighed. "I just don't want to stress you out."

She placed a hand on his cheek. "I know," she said. "You're such a good boy. But we definitely need to take you shopping again."

"Mom-"

"Listen up, mister," she demanded, poking a stubborn finger into his hard chest. "I don't care that you're the most powerful person in the world. I will knock some sense into you. Do I make myself clear?"

For once, Gohan wasn't rattled by her threats. Instead, a sly smile formed on his face as he thought about her words. "You're on," he finally said.

Turning to run out the door, Chi-Chi promptly followed him, the pair laughing as the wind rushed by them. After a minute or so, the two had reached a rather sparse field a mile from their house. Collecting himself, Gohan crouched into his fighting stance.

His mother rushed him, but he avoided her chop easily. Eyes narrowed in determination, she attacked relentlessly, her horizontal palms striking like a snake. Her son stayed in his base form, content to be challenged with her impressive speed and agility. Despite being faster, Gohan's growth had also meant he was bigger and buffer than ever. He found his body's changes to be a slight impediment on the fighting style he had honed with Piccolo, and so his mother was the perfect sparring partner for him to adjust his techniques.

The two fought until lunch time.

Through death, Gohan and Chi-Chi had grown closer than ever. Though still adamant that Gohan would never fight a villain ever again, Chi-Chi allowed him to resume training. The tall young man beside her reminded her of his father, as he now looked much like Goku did around the time if their engagement. She couldn't help but keep their connection to Goku alive in the only way the remaining Sons knew how- through martial arts.

That, and she would do anything to make her baby happy.

"Mom, I'm a little old for that, don't you think?" Gohan said, blushing slightly when Chi-Chi lamented the passing of years. The wind whipped through his short, thick hair, his father's signature gi ruffling in response.

"Nonsense," Chi-Chi waved off. "You may be taller than me now, but I'll always call you my baby. I can't believe how much you've grown!"

Gohan huffed, but didn't object. He instead continued to fly alongside his mother, both of them carrying several capsules worth of lunch. As they zipped through the clouds, the sprawling expanse of West City was soon visible.

"You look so much like your father now," Chi-Chi said suddenly, a sad smile gracing her ageing features.

Gohan couldn't help but smile, too.

"And since the only things that seem to fit you are his clothes..." Chi-Chi muttered. "It's definitely time we took a trip into town."

Groaning, Gohan dipped low through the sky, promoting his mother to chase after him and scold her son for being childish.

The pair reached Capsule Corp. within minutes, a broad table already set-up in the backyard. Bulma Briefs waved to them as they landed, engulfing Gohan in a rough hug.

"When the hell did you get so big?" she demanded, looking to Chi-Chi for answers. "What've you been feeding him?"

Before Chi-Chi could stop laughing long enough to answer, a little boy rocketed toward her son, nearly knocking him through the fence.

"Trunks," Bulma teased.

Ignoring her, the youngest half-Saiyan peered up at the Son boy, small arms wrapped around thick legs. "Gohan!" he yelled. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

Running a hand through the child's lilac hair, Gohan smiled at someone he thought of as a little brother. "What are you talking about, squirt? I saw you just last month for the holidays."

"Enough with this idle chatter," the gruff voice of Vegeta commanded. "Have you or have you not brought the meal?"

With an irritated sigh, Chi-Chi growled, "Always a pleasure, Vegeta."

"Hmph."

The Saiyan-blooded males tore through Chi-Chi's feast as though they hadn't eaten in weeks. Bulma looked on in disapproval, but ignored the display, much like Chi-Chi was trying hard to do.

"So that's the only thing that fits, huh?" Bulma asked, shaking her head.

"Yeah," Chi-Chi confirmed, picking at her fried rice. "He grew another three inches in just the past month alone. I'm at my wits' end!"

Sipping at her glass of wine, Bulma waved off her friend's dramatics. "You remember how different Goku looked at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, right? That man was off training for three years and came back two and a half feet taller!"

Chi-Chi nodded, looking past Trunks to see her own son give her a sheepish smile. He sat back in his chair, the space in front of him littered with empty platters and napkins.

"I can't believe you didn't see that one coming, Gohan!" Bulma laughed.

Eyes wide in fear, Gohan's energy spiked, prompting Vegeta, Trunks, and Chi-Chi to look up at him in response.

"See what?" Trunks asked innocently.

The teenage boy looked to Bulma, then to his mother, and Bulma slapped a hand over her mouth.

"See what?" Chi-Chi echoed. While the statement meant nothing to her, their reactions ignited her suspicion.

"Nothing," Gohan blurted out, his deep voice cracking for the first time in nearly a year. "It's nothing."

"Yeah," Bulma chimed in, her lie coming out much smoother. "It's just a little joke. You know, from our trip to Namek."

Sensing the heightened tension, Vegeta side-eyed the oldest half-Saiyan.

"A joke?" Chi-Chi said in a dangerously calm voice, her maternal instincts kicking into gear. Something was off- they were hiding something from her! She could see it plainly in her son's panicked eyes. "I'd love to hear it."

The boy didn't answer.

"Gohan," she said, her strong voice firm and unyielding.

Seeing her oldest child look to Bulma, eyes pleading, Chi-Chi lost her temper. Turning to the blue-haired woman, she yelled, "What in the world is going on? What did you do to my son?"

Bulma baulked at the accusation, her fiery personality rising to the accusing tone of voice. "Me?" she yelled, flinging her hands into either side of her. "I didn't do anything! You're overreacting, just like you always do-"

"I can see the future."

All eyes turned to Gohan, the meek words having slipped out of his mouth as soon as he realized refusing his mother would be pointless. Everyone was silent. Chi-Chi's jaw went slack. Bulma slid down in her chair, defeated. Trunks looked intrigued, sitting up straighter. Vegeta's sharp eyes settled on his wife, trying to pull answers from her through body language alone.

"I'm sorry, Gohan," Bulma whispered, her sincere blue eyes looking down in guilt. "I really didn't mean to- I'm sorry."

His throat dry, Gohan reassured her. "It's okay," he said weakly. "It's not your fault-"

"What do you mean you can see the future?" Chi-Chi asked, clearly baffled. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"

Fat drops of sweat gathered at Gohan's brow, and he felt faint at the thought of his mother's reaction.

"He saw Vegeta and Nappa's arrival on Earth," Bulma interjected. "He saw it before it happened."

Vegeta's neck made an audible crack as it whipped around, his black eyes burning through the teenager. "You…" he said slowly, as if the words were foreign on his tongue. "You have... visions?"

"Does that mean you know how many fingers I'm holding up?" Trunks piped up, his arm quickly folding behind him.

"Go inside, Trunks."

The little boy blinked- his father never called him by name. Boy, Brat, Child… but never Trunks. The act also unnerved Bulma, who realized Vegeta was taking this news very seriously.

Short legs sliding off the chair, Trunks backed up a few feet before looking to his mother in confusion. She nodded, and the 6-year-old hurried inside.

As soon as she heard the door shut, Chi-Chi jumped down Vegeta's throat. "You knew about this, too?" she accused.

Vegeta, for once, simply furrowed his brow instead of firing back at her. His voice sounded oddly strangled as he sent a glare toward Gohan. "No. I did not."

Chi-Chi's anger lost steam as she saw the man's serious expression.

"Explain yourself, boy," Vegeta said. Feeling thoroughly admonished, Gohan quietly began to tell his audience about his unique ability. He even recounted the strange presence of his Saiyan grandfather.

"Oh, my poor baby!" Chi-Chi wailed, tears springing to her eyes. "What have you been seeing? Please tell me nothing else is going to happen!"

"Chi-Chi, please," Bulma started. "He's a big boy, he can handle it-"

"You don't understand! None of you understand!" she screamed in response. "Nothing about his life is normal. He shouldn't have to have one thing after another shoved down his throat!"

With a sigh, Bulma had to agree. "I know, but-"

"She's right," Vegeta said, looking at the table, concentration etched across his stern features.

Everyone looked to the Prince of Saiyans, clearly startled. Before they could ask, he clarified, "The harpy is right." He looked to the half-Saiyan. "This does not sit well with me. You are aware that, in the end, these visions are what led Bardock to his death, yes?"

"Vegeta, are you saying you're worried about Gohan?" Bulma asked, incredulous.

"What I'm saying," Vegeta started through clenched teeth, "is that Kakarot and his family have an uncanny ability to attract trouble."

His chair fell to the ground as he stood, lunging sideways to pull Gohan from his chair by the front of his shirt in one swift movement.

"Which brings me to my next question," Vegeta sneered. "Why have you withheld this information from me? Are you content to watch your allies fail when you could be providing valuable intel?"

Despite being physically stronger than Vegeta, Gohan did not like the direction the conversation was headed. Twisting Vegeta's wrist to pry the man from his shirt, Gohan stepped back as the two separated. "Of course not!" he said, struggling to stay calm. "I just didn't want anybody to freak out. Nothing is set in stone- sometimes the future changes, and so do my visions!"

Vegeta crossed his arms, and Bulma and Chi-Chi watched the two men carefully. Taking that as his cue to continue, Gohan added, "If I had told you guys what I'd seen- the moment you know, the future would change. You would know, and you would try to do things differently, which means that vision likely wouldn't come true anymore. You would be working with outdated information, Vegeta."

A few moments passed before Vegeta abruptly turned. He stomped inside his home, ignoring the protests from the women still seated.

The boy may have had a point, but the situation still didn't sit well with Vegeta.

Fists clenched, he headed straight for the gravity room. He recalled the rumours from Frieza's men concerning Bardock, the lone Saiyan who had stood up to Frieza on Planet Vegeta's last day.

The day the "meteor" had hit.

"Damn monkey knew exactly what Lord Frieza was planning," one said. "Must've been a spy, trying to bide time for time for the Saiyans to overthrow us."

"Yeah, said he started having weird dreams after the Kanassa mission," another soldier laughed. "The guy was nuts, that's for sure."

Setting the gravity to the highest he could withstand without transforming, Vegeta flowed through a series of katas to warm up.

The boy must've somehow inherited his psychic power from Bardock- that much was clear to Vegeta. Yet Bardock had gained this ability through the Kanassans, after Kakarot's birth, making the trait impossible to pass on through traditional genetic means.

Not to mention that Bardock's endeavour had ultimately failed. The rugged Saiyan warrior had had the chance to save their entire race, only to be slaughtered upon failing to serve his purpose.

"So, why?" Vegeta wondered, his muscles straining under the intense pressure as he evaded another training bot.

"For what purpose has such a gift- a weapon, even- been given to the boy?"


	14. Hopeful

They hadn't been to Orange Star City in a while, and that became painfully obvious as Gohan and Chi-Chi landed outside the city limits.

"What?" she screamed.

"Welcome to Satan City," Gohan read aloud from the billboard. He groaned.

"I can't believe it!" Chi-Chi fumed. "Why, I outta-"

"Mom, we're here to shop, remember?" Gohan prompted. He may have hated Mr. Satan, but he knew his mother wouldn't hesitate to physically harm the unsuspecting man. And despite Mr. Satan's sins, Gohan wasn't quite sure that man deserved to die.

She huffed before leading him into the city, and their trip to the mall was rather uneventful. Chi-Chi bought her growing son an assortment of new clothes, much to his confusion.

"Why did you buy so many if I'm just gonna grow out of them again?" he inquired, fingering one of several boxes the cashier was rapidly wrapping. Chi-Chi simply ignored her son, which confused him.

"Thank you again for your business, Ox Queen," the young woman at the register squeaked, her eyes not leaving the small, horned crown she now wore when in public.

"No, thank you," Chi-Chi said with a small but gracious bow, 'causing more customers to stop and stare.

Once their purchases were all encapsulated, the Son family left the store.

Chi-Chi quickly rounded a corner before stopping abruptly, causing Gohan to nearly run into her from behind. Sidestepping the woman, he looked at her oddly. "Mom?"

He followed her gaze and saw that she had stopped at a crosswalk. Across the street from them stood a large building, with a giant orange star on the front. "I bought you several outfits because you're going to high school," she said, as if that explained everything.

"High school?" he asked. "But you've always just homeschooled me."

She grabbed his hand and tugged him over to an empty bench. Sitting down next to her son, she began to explain, "It's been just me and you for a while, Gohan. And when I have to go to the castle every day, you're either left alone, sparring with Krillin, or you come with me just to be surrounded by stuffy old politicians."

She took a deep breath. "Don't get me wrong. I love you, Gohan. I love having you around, no matter what I'm doing. But you should really be around more people your age."

She looked around quickly, as if to verify that they were alone before continuing. "You're not normal Gohan. You know that. I always knew you were special, long before we found out your father was a Saiyan. We found out because of Raditz and, well, you know the rest of that fiasco. But the last time we were at Bulma's, well…"

Chi-Chi trailed off, and Gohan couldn't help but feel guilty again. Perhaps it had been a mistake on his part to not tell his friends and family about his visions. His mother, in particular, had been heartbroken that he hadn't trusted her enough with the information. Weeks had passed, yet she still seemed to tread lightly around him, as if their relationship was suddenly fragile.

It made him sick to think about- that his own mother thought he was a freak.

"I just want you to have a normal life, sweetie," she finished. "What do you think? Will you at least try going to high school- for me?"

"Well," he said, trying to take a moment to think. He couldn't exactly refute her words. She looked at him with large, dark eyes, his very own irises staring back at him.

He sighed. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try."

She brightened instantly. "Oh good, I was afraid you wouldn't like the idea!" she said. "Let's go in and see if we can enrol you."

She walked with a newfound spring in her step, and Gohan followed behind her with diligence.

"Hi, how can I help you?" an older woman behind the front counter asked. Looking up from her desk, the woman blanched at the sight of the Ox Queen.

"Hi, my name is Son Chi-Chi and I have an appointment with the principal today."

Gohan shot his mother a look. "Wait, what?"

"I'll let him know you're here," the receptionist said, nervously glancing at the meeting calendar. She strolled to the back of the large office and knocked on the last door.

"You already had this planned?" he asked his mother in a fierce whisper. "Whether I wanted to go or not?"

"Do you remember that review test I gave you last week?" she asked, barely moving her mouth through a big smile.

The secretary waved, signalling them to enter the principal's office.

"It was the entrance exam," Chi-Chi finished with a wink. "You passed, of course, and with the highest marks."

Gohan did his best to conceal his betrayal as he and his mother entered the small office.

When the mother and son finally left the small office an hour later, Gohan's heart was pounding. He gripped the various sheets of paper in one fist, partially crushing the documents as he stared through them. He had read them over and over again, and despite the genius he was, his brain couldn't make sense of them.

His mind was simply elsewhere.

The pair exited the building. Walking behind the school and out of sight, Chi-Chi lightly placed a hand on her son's shoulder. Swallowing hard, Gohan placed two fingers on his head before transporting them both back to their home in Mt. Paozu, using Icarus's faint energy signal as a beacon.

Reaching for the unlocked door, Chi-Chi stepped aside to allow her son entrance.

Dress code, list of graduation requirements, electives to choose from, information on school-provided lunches, a series of procedures in the event of an emergency, health and emergency contact information- the list went on and on.

"I'm just a little overwhelmed," he admitted, the documents nearly slipping from his sweaty palms.

Still holding the door open, Chi-Chi blinked. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

Nodding in thanks to his mother's courteous gesture, the well-mannered boy finally entered their humble home. He plopped himself down on the sofa, and looked down at his papers again, squinting to try and read them for the hundredth time.

Closing the door behind her, Chi-Chi moved to stand in front of her son, concerned. "Are you worried that the material won't be challenging enough? I can always keep giving you more advanced assignments in addition to your regular homework-"

"That's not it, Mom," Gohan quickly interrupted. "It's just…"

"Just what?"

"What if I don't make friends?" he blurted out.

"Why wouldn't you make friends?" she replied without hesitation. "You're the sweetest boy ever, and you're so polite!" She took a seat next to him, putting a hand on his knee, her eyes tearing up as she went into full-on mother mode. "You're much smarter than I'll ever be. And you've grown from such a cute little boy to a handsome young man!"

"Come on, Mom," he whined, trying to squirm out of her grasp. "You're my mother, and I know you love me. But I don't know any of these people, and-"

"Gohan," she gently scolded.

He looked at her.

"You've saved the world, Gohan. How hard can high school be?"

Two days later, Gohan awoke with a start.

"Get up, sweetie. You don't want to be late for your first day of school!" Chi-Chi chided.

He groaned and sat up to see her leave his room. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he jumped in the shower and dressed quickly. Running downstairs, he met his mother at the table.

"Saiyans," she cursed, watching how her son gulped down plate after plate.

He laughed. "It was great, thanks, Mom."

After brushing his teeth, he found his mother waiting by the front door with a small bundle of bento boxes. "Don't forget your lunch," she said.

He tucked the package into his yellow messenger bag. "Thanks. Are we still going to train before dinner?" he asked.

"Oh, don't think you can slack off on your training just because you're in high school now," Chi-Chi warned, giving him a playful wink. "If you come home before me, we're sparring as soon as I get back."

The boy laughed. "I know, I'm just making sure!"

He moved through the front door, his mother still close behind.

"Oh, and I put a spare outfit in your bag, just in case you spill something on yourself-

"Um, okay."

"And pay attention and listen to your teachers!"

"Of course!"

"And don't forget to sign up for an afterschool club- it's mandatory!"

"Got it."

"And remember to keep your powers a secret!" she yelled after him, watching as he distanced himself from the house.

"Goodbye, Mom!" he shouted in exasperation, his deep voice cutting easily through the high-pitched wind.


	15. Curious

Twenty pairs of eyes locked onto him, and the sight made him silently curse his mother.

"Ah, you must be the new kid," a middle-aged man said. Shaking the half-Saiyan's hand, the teacher invited Gohan inside.

"Class, we have a new transfer student today," he announced. "Why don't you introduce yourself, son? Tell the class your name and where you moved from."

Gohan cleared his throat. Public speaking wasn't ideal, but he supposed he could handle a simple introduction. "Hi," he started. "My name is Son Gohan. And I actually didn't move from anywhere, it's just the first time I've been in a public school. I've been home-taught my entire life."

Nodding, the teacher added, "Well, that certainly explains the excellent grades." Turning to Gohan, he said, "Go ahead and find a seat. You're just in time for us to begin."

The man walked back to his desk, fiddling with the lock on his briefcase. Gohan stood dumbly for a second, scanning the room for an empty chair. Spotting one, he moved up the stairs on the side of the room.

"Hey, Son," the girl next to him whispered. "I'm Erasa. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, hi," Gohan replied. "Nice to meet you, too."

She giggled at his manners before facing the blackboard once again.

"Huh, so this is high school," Gohan silently mused. "This isn't bad at all."

He had hoped the morning lessons would be interesting, but it seemed that his mother had already taught him what they were learning.

He grimaced as his stomach growled again.

"Alright, class," his teacher said. "I'll see you tomorrow. You are dismissed."

"Ah, lunchtime," he muttered to himself, a goofy grin plastered across his face. He wanted to run straight out of the room, but settled for a fast walk instead. Reaching his new locker, he fumbled with the combination for a minute before opening it. Retrieving his lunch, he placed his book bag inside.

"Hey, Son!"

Gohan spun around, startled by the voice behind him.

Erasa stood nearly a foot and a half shorter than him, her short, blonde bob just reaching his pecs.

"Oops!" she said, sheepish. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You're fine," he gushed, a little embarrassed by his reaction. His nerves were nearly fried from years of combat, but he hoped it didn't show. "I was just heading to lunch."

"Do you wanna sit with me and my friends?" she offered. "It must suck to not know anybody."

"That'd be great, thanks," he said, grateful for the companionship. He shut his locker, careful not to dent the flimsy steel. They walked side-by-side to the cafeteria, Erasa's purple lunch box dangling from her fingertips.

"So, you were homeschooled?" She asked, holding the door open for him.

"Thank you," he said, following her into the large space, cluttered tables spaced only two feet apart. "And yeah, my mom's made me study from the moment I could start to talk."

"Why didn't she ever enrol you in a regular school?" Erasa inquired, making small talk as she searched for her friends.

Gohan frowned. "I don't actually know," he admitted. "My mom's always been a little crazy, but she means well. She probably thought I'd be smarter if I had individual attention or something."

"Well, I think it worked," Erasa said with a wink. Gohan felt his face flush. "Wow, thanks," he said. "I sure try."

"What's Nerd Boy doing here?" A deep voice said. Gohan looked down to see a boy about his height and build sitting next to a girl with dark hair. Since Erasa was so friendly, Gohan had been expecting her friends to be much the same. It seemed he was mistaken.

"Hush, Sharpener!" Erasa admonished. "His name is Son, not Nerd Boy!"

"Son?" Gohan interrupted. "You can just call me Gohan if you want."

"Wait, is Son your first name or your family name?" Erasa asked, taking a seat. Gohan sat next to her, a quizzical look on his face.

The girl with dark hair lifted an eyebrow. "You introduced yourself as Son Gohan, right?"

Seeing him nod, she frowned. "That's unusual," she continued. "Most people around here use the modern naming system. You know, first name before last name. Where do you live?"

Gohan blinked. "Wow, you're perceptive," he said with a grin. "I completely forgot about that! I live on Mount Paozu."

"Mount Paozu?" Sharpener inquired. "Where the hell is that? There's no mountains around here."

"It's in the 439 East Mountain District, on the edge of the Ox Kingdom."

"Whoa," Erasa said, surprised. "No wonder you were homeschooled. I bet there's no school near you anyway!"

"So why are you all the way out here?" The dark-haired girl asked. Her brow furrowed in disdain, as if her blue eyes dissected his every word. "I know the Ox Kingdom is fairly small, but surely you guys have a high school there."

"I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name," Gohan said politely.

He received a series of strange looks. "You mean, you don't recognize her?" Erasa asked.

"What?" Gohan replied, equally confused.

"Videl is Mr. Satan's daughter," Sharpener scoffed. "Geez, you don't get television out in the countryside?"

Gohan recoiled, quickly looking to Videl for confirmation. Her expressionless face stared back at him, as if daring him to challenge the claim.

"Oh," Gohan said flatly, his good mood quieting down a bit.

"Oh?" Videl repeated.

Closing his eyes in a grimace, Gohan had a feeling his classmates wouldn't like what he was about to do next.

"Sorry, I should get going," he lied. "I just remembered something else I have to do."

Mouth agape, Sharpener watched Gohan pickup his untouched bento boxes.

Sharpener leaned forward. "Seriously?" he asked. "You meet the champ's daughter and you act like you've got better things to do? You should be thanking her!"

Videl opened her mouth to silence her rowdy friend.

"Why?" Gohan replied without thinking. The venom in his voice made Videl blink in surprise. "It's not like she did anything."

"What's your deal?" Sharpener demanded, smacking his hands down against the table. "Her dad's literally the strongest man in the world, which makes her the second strongest. She could kick your ass in the blink of an eye!"

The last of Gohan's restraint broke away, and he felt annoyance spark through his veins. Feeling his back begin to tingle, the boy turned to leave. He certainly didn't want to lose control and transform in front of ordinary humans.

"Shut up, Sharp!" Videl yelled. "I'm not a damsel in distress. I can fight my own damn battles!" She turned to Gohan. "And you. I'm guessing you're not a fan of my dad, huh?"

Her tone of voice had changed, and Gohan didn't quite know if she would be angry with him. "You could say that," Gohan answered, trying to answer honestly without coming across as rude.

Nobody spoke for a few seconds. Vid looked like she was contemplating something, and finally said, "Well, I'm not gonna blow a gasket over that. It's weird, but it's a relief not having another guy in this school fawn over me."

The rest of the table gaped in response, but Gohan smiled in relief. There was definitely something different about that girl. He supposed she was cute- despite The Talk his mother had given him, he still didn't feel anything in particular toward girls. He wondered if she would at least make a good friend.

"Well, what kind of car do you drive, Gohan?" Erasa said, trying to further diffuse the situation. "Since you live so far away, you must have a really good one, right?"

Videl eyed the tall boy as he answered Erasa, telling her that he flew to school on a fairly fast jet.

"The schools in the kingdom are fairly isolated, which is why I wanted to come here instead," he added. "Orange Star High is actually closer to my home than either of the two high schools in the kingdom-"

While Videl didn't believe her father had defeated Cell, she never imagined she'd encounter someone who didn't worship her father. It was refreshing to say the least, and she decided she would tolerate the strange boy.

After lunch, their history class passed by rather uneventfully.

"So, we have one more class, right?" Gohan asked. Right after their teacher had left, Sharpener went to the front of the room to goof around with his friends, and Erasa was taking her time in the bathroom.

Videl looked up at the sound of his voice. "Yep," she said, noticing the empty seats next to them. "We've just got Biology next."

"Cool," Gohan said. "I love biology. It's probably my favourite subject."

"Really?" Videl asked, deciding small talk wouldn't be a total waste of time. While she didn't particularly find him interesting, she wouldn't go so far as to be rude to him. "My favourite class is probably gym. Why weren't you in our class by the way?"

"Oh, I requested a study period instead," Gohan said. "I don't want to take gym in case I fall behind academically."

"Wow, you really are into books," she muttered, wishing she hadn't asked.

"Are you into martial arts like your dad?" Gohan asked, hoping you keep their conversation going.

She visibly perked up. "Yep," she said proudly. "In fact, I plan on taking away his championship belt later this year."

"Wait, when's the next World Martial Arts Tournament?" he asked, wondering if he misheard her.

"It's in a few weeks," she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You mean you didn't know?

Seeing him shake his head, Videl shrugged and said, "You should come watch me fight. You might learn something." She smirked.

Thinking it over for only a moment, he replied, "Well, why not? Sure, I'll be there."

He returned a smirk of his own.

"Absolutely not."

"But, Mom-"

"I said no, Gohan!" Chi-Chi yelled over her shoulder.

"Why though?" he questioned. "Think about how much fun it could be."

She tensed. Scrubbing the dirty pan harder, water splashed around the rim of the sink. The stubborn Son family had been arguing since Gohan came home from school that day, and neither was making any headway in the conversation.

"No, Gohan," she repeated. "Tournaments are dangerous. Did you know I almost watched your father die at the 23rd? And do I need to even remind you what happened at the Cell Games?"

"Wait, is that why you were so against me learning how to fight as a kid?" he asked, understanding lighting up his dark eyes. "Because Piccolo almost killed Dad?"

"Yes," she breathed, the sound barely audible over her incessant scrubbing. Noticing the pan had been clean for quite some time now, she abruptly stopped.

When Chi-Chi turned around, Gohan saw the tears gathering in her eyes. "As a little girl, I fought only for fun. But your father… he fought to save the world, over and over and over again. And that's something I will always regret him passing on to you."

"Mom," he said, feeling lost. He hated to see her so upset, but he had a duty to uphold. He didn't know what to say- any comforting words would only be lies at this point.

She knew that, too. "Don't say anything," she said. "You don't have to tell me everything's going to be alright, or that you'll never fight again. Because I know that there will come a time when you have to. But I'm hoping it's not for a very, very long time."

He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around his mother's shoulders. "I love you, Mom," he said, firm. "And I won't fight in the tournament if you don't want me to."

She squeezed him. "Thank you, son." Letting him go, she took a step back, craning her neck to look at his face.

"But I'm sure it'd be fine to go see your friend fight," she said, placing her hands in either side of his face as if inspecting him. "You cheering her on isn't as bad."

He brightened. "Really? Thanks, Mom!"

She nodded, removing her hands to resume washing dishes. With a small smile, she watched him from the corner of her eye. He walked to his bedroom with a spring in his step, clearly off to a good start at his new school.

She sighed, murmuring, "I wish he didn't have to grow up so fast."


	16. Uneasy

Nearly a month passed, and Gohan found himself getting to know Videl better. He loved his father's friends, and he adored Piccolo, but it was a pleasant change of pace to talk about typical teenage human things.

"I'm glad your mom is at least letting you come to watch me," she told him, twirling a pigtail around her fingers. "It'll be nice to have someone cheering me on."

"That's what friends are for," he said, a genuine smile on his face, as usual. "Besides, I'm sure plenty of people will be cheering you on."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you think so," she said, dropping her hand. "Most people are only interested in my father, though."

"That's a shame," he said, his stomach curling at the thought. He tightened his grip on his backpack as the pair left the school together. "I definitely know what that's like."

Videl frowned. "What, to have a world champion as a father?"

"I mean living in your father's shadow," the boy replied quietly. "My father passed away years ago, but I don't think I'll ever be able to live up to his legacy."

"Oh," Videl said, stopping in her tracks. She looked vaguely uncomfortable, as if she wasn't put in sensitive situations often. Her normally stern expression looked pinched and nervous.

"I actually lost my mother just a few years ago," she finally admitted. "I don't know what happened to her. My dad said he came home one day and she was just gone, without a trace."

Gohan stopped walking, turning to face his friend.

"I'm really sorry, Gohan."

"Don't be," he told her, his gentle smile putting her at ease. "They might both be in a better place now."

"Yeah, sure," Videl mumbled, not quite believing him. She opened her mouth to speak again, but instead stopped when she saw her friend's demeanour change.

"Gohan?" Piccolo's voice resounded inside Gohan's head. The teenage boy, surprised by the sudden contact, nearly jumped a foot into the air. When he realized who was speaking to him, Gohan visibly relaxed. "Oh, hey, Piccolo," he thought. "What's going on?"

"Come to the lookout immediately, kid," the Guardian replied, not bothering to exchange pleasantries.

Gohan shifted to look at Videl, who was staring at him oddly while waving a hand in front of his face.

"Jeez, Gohan," she scowled "What's gotten into you? Are you alright?"

Nervous about Piccolo's abrupt call, Gohan backed away slowly, unsure of what excuse to give Videl.

"Sorry, Videl, I really don't feel good all of a sudden," he lied. "I don't think I can walk you home today."

Eyes narrowed by his obvious lie, Videl yelled after him as he ran past her neighbourhood. "What the hell, Gohan?" she shouted in frustration. She briefly thought about following him, but decided she would simply tell him off at school the next day for ditching her.

She smiled at the thought, clutching the straps of her backpack a little tighter.

Racing to the lookout in his ascended super Saiyan form, Gohan landed atop the floating palace in mere minutes. The first and second levels had been rather easy for him to maintain and strengthen over the years, with the second being only slightly more difficult due to the more aggressive personality change. In training with his father on Yardrat, the Son boys had discovered that grief and emotional pain were the primary triggers for the first Super Saiyan transformation. In his training following the Cell Games, Gohan had correctly deduced that anger and rage were the triggers for the ascended form. On the cusp of a new level of power not yet reached, Gohan hadn't been able to achieve a third transformation thus far.

And with Piccolo's suspicious call, he sincerely hoped he wouldn't need it anytime soon.

"Piccolo?" he said, tentatively stepping toward his previous master, dropping back to his base form.

With a grunt, Piccolo turned to face Gohan. Though still garbed in his classic white turban and cape, his purple gi top now bore the symbol of the Guardian of Earth on the front.

"Something is coming," Piccolo said. "I can feel it. Though I'm not sure what it is yet, it's clearly malevolent."

Features hard, Gohan nodded. "How soon?"

"Very soon," Piccolo said, turning back to face the edge of the lookout. "You've been keeping up with your training outside of our occasional spars, right?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah," Gohan replied. "I train with Mom. Sometimes Krillin."

Nodding, Piccolo hesitated. "Have you seen anything of concern?"

Blinking several times, Gohan though over his visions from the past month or so. "No," he slowly decided. "I don't think I've seen anything suspicious."

Reading his friend's thoughts, the Namekian added, "Yes, then it's strange indeed that I know before you do."

"Well, what do we do now?" Gohan asked. "Train? Wait? How can we prepare if we don't even know what we'll be up against?"

"For now, just let the others know," Piccolo reasoned. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid that's all we can do."

Sensing his presence was no longer needed, Gohan took several steps toward the edge of the lookout. "You know, I've really missed you, Piccolo."

Closing his eyes, Piccolo responded softly, "I've missed you too, kid."

His nerves now frayed, Gohan dove off the edge, heading straight for Kame House.

Several hours later, all of the Z-Fighters had been informed of the situation. Exhausted, Gohan finally trekked back to the 439 Mountain Area, relieved to feel that his mother was napping in her bedroom. He was sure she'd be unhappy about him leaving school so early in the day, but right now he was too preoccupied to care.

As soon as the exhausted boy sat on his bed, a pain shot through him. He doubled over, clutching his head.

Then he saw it: a large shadow fell over the several audience members as they clamoured out of their seats in a panic. The being to whom the shadow belonged floated just around the corner, temporarily out of Gohan's sight. Though from the screams of passersby, the sight must've been truly terrifying.

Jumping onto the World Martial Arts Tournament stage, a clearly battered Videl fell into a battle stance.

And then a flash of pink flesh passed into view, and Gohan's vision went black.

His blood pressure rapidly rising, Gohan clutched his chest in fear. Gradually coming back to his senses in the safety of his bedroom, he blindly reached for his desk drawer. With a shaky hand, he pulled out a fairly tattered journal, thick with notes and drawings of past visions. He flipped through the pages hurriedly, worried that he would forget every detail if he didn't write it down.

Bardock was right. The peace was over.


	17. Tense

Gohan stood at the forefront of the Z-Fighters. With a subtle nod, the group dispersed, slipping into the crowds unnoticed.

Bulma and Yamcha headed for the stands. Chi-Chi took Trunks' hand, heading for the registration table as Vegeta followed them. Krillin and Eighteen headed for the main path leading around the large stadium. Piccolo and Seventeen disappeared shortly before taking off into the sky, only to find a suitable place to float out of view over the massive crowds.

Papaya Island was packed with tourists, martial artists and fans alike. Gohan headed straight for the competitor's area to find Videl and Mr. Satan. He would keep an eye on them while the others scoped out their designated areas. Whoever or whatever that planned to make a violent appearance here may be attracted to Mr. Satan's fabled strength, and he was the only Z-Fighter willing to act as the man's bodyguard.

Rolling his shoulders in a feeble attempt to relax, Gohan soon found himself walking past security, unnoticed. Following Videl's energy signature, he soon rounded a corner inside the contestant area, only to have his path blocked by a large, red-skinned man.

Looking up, Gohan's eyes narrowed at the stranger before him. He could sense some faint energy coming from the tall man, but it was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

"Excuse me," the teen said cooly.

"Hello, Gohan," another voice said. Stepping out from behind the large man, a smaller man made himself known. Of a similar race to his friend, the shorter being had the same pointed ears, white hair colour, and unfamiliar ceremonial garb. Yet his skin was purple, and his hair was much shorter.

"I'm sorry. You know my name, but I don't believe I know yours." Gohan said, trying to play it cool. With a dark chuckle, the purple man said, "My name is Shin, and this is my assistant Kibito. We are not your enemies, Gohan. We are here to help."

"Help with what exactly?"

With a tight-lipped smile, Shin's eyes travelled up and down Gohan's form for a second. "You have incredible power. Please- keep an eye out."

"I don't like the fact that you clearly know something," the teen said in a low voice, stepping into Shin's personal space.

"That is no way to talk to the Supreme Kai!" Kibito hissed, stepping forward.

"Supreme Kai?" Gohan asked. Not a moment later, Piccolo connected to him telepathically to confirm Shin's outrageous statement.

"They're here to help," the Namekian said, less composed than Gohan had ever heard him. "The Supreme Kai watches over the universe. If he's personally involved, we're about to be in major trouble. He just advised me to stay out of the way, as my lifeforce is connected to the dragon balls."

The connection ended and Gohan felt his breath catch. "This must be serious if Piccolo is taking orders," Gohan thought grimly. "Especially if they both think we'll need to use the dragon balls afterwards."

"Yes, the situation is indeed that severe," Shin said. "And yes, I can read minds."

The two Kais moved to either side of the narrow hallway, allowing Gohan to finally pass.

It was no surprise that Trunks had won the Junior Division by a landslide. After the award ceremony had concluded, the adult competitors began to file on stage to get their match assignments.

Chi-Chi watched closely as Trunks went backstage again, on patrol with his father in the contestant area for the remaining tournament matches. Everyone was on high alert for suspicious activity, spread out across the tournament grounds to maximize their search for anything unusual. So far the only suspicious person was Vegeta, who had vehemently threatened the tournament monks into letting him backstage. Needless to say, they relented, as planned.

The older woman grimaced, feeling a sudden influx of foul energy behind her. She quickly sidestepped the beast of a man as he passed her, and she paled at the sight of him. She pulsed her energy twice in quick succession, letting the others know she had found something of interest.

"And Spopovich is #4!" The announcer yelled, gesturing to the large man swirling with dark energy. "He will be fighting in the second match."

The Saiyan prince collected his son and stood at the stage entrance. As another man by the name of Yamu was called forward, Chi-Chi once again pulsed her energy.

Eyes narrowed, Vegeta stared at the m-shaped tattoo on his forehead.

Krillin paced through the outer pathways of the tournament grounds. He had quickly lost sight of his android wife in the crowds, both due to his short stature and her lack of an energy signal. Every few minutes, the tall woman had come to find him, checking in with him about their lack of progress thus far.

However, it'd been nearly fifteen minutes since he last saw her.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Krillin said, to a portly young woman. The girl turned to look at him, weary.

"Yes?"

"I seem to have lost sight of my wife," the former monk explained, trying to stay calm. "Would you mind checking for her in the bathroom for me? She's about your height, shoulder length blonde hair, and blue eyes. Her name is Eighteen."

"Oh," the girl said, relieved that she wasn't being hit on. "Yeah, sure. What was she wearing?"

"She had a black with long, white sleeves, with a jean skirt and black leggings. And the red boots I got her for her birthday last year," Krillin gushed. "Thank you, thank you- I really appreciate it!"

Waiting outside the restrooms, Krillin gnawed on his fingernails.

Almost a hundred feet away, Mr. Satan appraised his daughter as the last match was announced. Walking off stage, the strong young woman passed through the corridor where she had instructed security to let her friend wait.

"Good luck, Videl!" Gohan told her. "I just know you're gonna do great."

"Thanks," she beamed, turning to look at her father over one shoulder. The two walked side by side until they reached a second security checkpoint.

"Alright, I'm going to go find a seat," Gohan said. "Are you going to be okay?"

She laughed. "I don't know why, but I have a good feeling about today."

Gohan's smile faltered.


	18. Hysterical

Blood pounded in Krillin's ears.

With shaking hands, he took the red boot from the woman.

"-this outside the bathroom entrance, but I didn't see anyone who looked like your wife in there. Sorry about that."

"Thank you," he croaked, obviously worried. "Thank you for trying."

He took off running, holding the bright shoe closely to his chest. After a few seconds, he didn't bother hiding his abilities anymore. He blasted off into the sky, heart racing as he located Piccolo.

The Guardian of Earth hadn't felt Krillin's approach.

He had sensed a strange energy signal just a few minutes prior; however, it wasn't the same two beings Chi-Chi had encountered. This one felt familiar, but he couldn't quite get a read on it. The signature felt faint, as if being suppressed, which only concerned him more.

"You heard him, Green Bean," Seventeen had said, referring to the Supreme Kai. "No fun for you today. I'll check it out and let you know what's what."

With an indignant huff, Piccolo acquiesced, sending Seventeen off in the direction of the strange energy.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice Krillin slam into him just minutes later.

"What the hell?" Piccolo demanded. His urgency only increased upon seeing Krillin's expression. "Krillin? What happened?"

Seventeen picked his way through the crowd, flirting with the occasional woman along the way.

"He really needs a vacation," he thought, thinking about the hardened Namekian warrior he had been floating next to for the past several hours. "He's even grumpier than usual today."

Nearing the area of interest, the crowd had thinned out considerably. The tournament was obviously well underway at this point, and nobody wanted to miss it.

He looked around, his cold eyes scanning the perimeter for anything out of the ordinary. He couldn't sense energy, but perhaps there were other advantages to being an android.

Heat vision activated, Seventeen's internal computer rerouted its power input, focusing his reserves into the four thermal sensors placed behind his pupils. Moments later, he saw a dark red figure standing in front of him, whom he presumed to be previously obscured from view by a thicket of overgrown palm trees.

"There you are," Seventeen teased, a mischievous smirk smeared across his tan face. Placing his hands on his hips, he called out, "If you're here to play games, then I do have to warn you. I like it rough."

Screams echoed across the stadium as Spopovich continued to beat Videl to within an inch of her life.

Sitting next to Yamcha and Bulma in the crowd, the teen half-Saiyan felt his teeth rattle as he clenched his jaw harder. Yancha was talking to him, gripping him by the forearm, but the boy couldn't hear a word.

"If you help her, the match will be voided. She'll never forgive you, Gohan!"

"Are you serious?" Bulma argued. "She'll get over it, but only if she's alive! Someone has to do something."

"Listen, I know you're friends," Yamcha told the teenager, ignoring his ex entirely. "But Spopovich can't kill her. It's against the rules, and he's obviously here to win. So, she'll be fine, okay? She's a tough kid."

Eyes flashing, Gohan emitted a powerful gust of wind that toppled Yamcha over, releasing his hold. Bulma and several other humans nearby were thrown from their seats completely.

"Gohan, no!" Yamcha yelled, scrambling to his feet.

In a flash of golden light, the half-Saiyan threw himself over the railing and onto the stage.

Unable to sense Gohan's massive energy output, Seventeen turned in reaction to the blinding blast of light behind him.

In one swift movement, Semi-Perfect Cell leapt out of his hiding spot to absorb his last android.

Immediately, his body began to change, a mighty aura flaring up around him. The voices of nearly a million spectators rose all at once as an unnatural wind battered the island.

Gohan, still fighting off Spopovich in his first Super Saiyan form, was relieved to see his mother fly over to check on Videl. The older woman held on tightly to the girl, afraid that the strong change in weather might aggravate her injuries.

The Super Saiyan felt an immense pressure weighing down on his chest, as if a particularly powerful life force was trying to swallow his own. Throwing the gigantic man off of him, Gohan tried to bide time to take in his surroundings. A quick glance told him the sudden change in environment was no natural occurrence. He desperately tried to pinpoint the new influx of energy, but the signature was too powerful and all-consuming for him to properly focus on it at the moment.

The announcer desperately tried to call off the clearly deranged Spopovich, all while urging the attendees to stay calm, but to no avail. Mass hysteria had broken out, only fueled by the fact that Gohan's last attack had snapped Spopovich's neck into an odd angle. Yet the giant simply stood, grinning as he wrenched his head back into place with a sickening crunch.

Adrenaline rushing through his veins, Gohan tried to concentrate on the energy signal once more. It felt familiar- he was sure he had encountered this person before.

His breath hitched as he realized he was sensing his father's energy nearby.

Spopovich lunged toward the half-Saiyan once more, but this time Gohan found himself physically frozen in place. Struggling to break free from some invisible force, Gohan ascended.

His father needs him!

The tiles of the tournament stage shattered instantly, the concrete spraying outward in small clumps of dust and rubble.

The blonde half-Saiyan yelped in pain as he felt a sharp sting in his abdomen, and he felt the very energy draining from his muscles.

Seeing his ally in trouble, Vegeta raced toward Yamu, who held a strange, pointed device up to Gohan's stomach. Before Vegeta could reach the boy, though, Gohan's hair fell back to black, and the force that gripped him vanished.

The teenager toppled to the ground, barely conscious with copious amounts of blood pouring from his waist.

Shin lowered his hands, breathing heavily from the effort it took to restrain an ascended Super Saiyan.

"It is done, Kibito," he said. "Now we must follow Spopovich and Yamu back to Babidi's ship. Will you heal the boy first? We will need his assistance."

Nodding, the large, red man jumped onto the remains of the tournament stage. His long, silvery hair flew upward as Vegeta soared past him, the Saiyan intent on fighting this powerful new foe.

Vegeta aimed a vicious kick at Yamu, only to see it have no effect. Tossing the weapon to his comrade, Yamu squared off with Vegeta, allowing Spopovich the perfect opening to drain Vegeta's energy as well.

From his position on the ground, Gohan heard Vegeta's howls of anger and agony above the cacophony of voices.

Then he heard the voice of his mother somewhere above him, and then Kibito.

And all at once, the insurmountable power ravaging Papaya Island tapered off, stabilizing at a ridiculously high level. The artificial winds and lightning instantly fell still, the dark clouds breaking off and scattering across the midday sky.

A rough hand shook Gohan awake. Or at least, he thought he was awake until he saw Bardock.

"Gohan," the deceased Saiyan urged. "Gohan, I need you to listen to me very carefully. It's almost time, do you understand?"

The half-Saiyan felt dizzy, and he clutched his head with both hands. He didn't remember getting hit in the head while fighting Spopovich, but why else would his head be hurting so badly?

Both hands on the boy's shoulders now, Bardock shook him hard, only serving to further disorient him instead of gaining his attention as intended.

"Gohan?" the man said, frantic. "Gohan, whatever you do, don't-"

Gohan's black eyes widened as Bardock suddenly disappeared from before his very eyes. Looking around, he saw complete and utter destruction. The landscape around him had been decimated, hundreds of trees flattened and burnt almost beyond recognition.

And then a figure flew toward him, a pink humanoid in baggy white pants. With a terrifying leer, the being created a pink energy blast in the palm of his hand. Making eye contact with Gohan, it spoke.

"Die."

The blast collided with the Earth, and the planet exploded.

Gohan could feel his skin being torn from his very body, the muscles underneath broken down and incinerated within just milliseconds. Pain- unimaginable pain- was his only connection to the living world.

And then everything went black.

Suddenly revitalized, Gohan woke with a jolt, shocking the small gathering around him.

"Dad!" Gohan cried, eyes wide in panic. "Where is he? Where-" He felt hands on his back as he struggled, still lying face down in the dirt. His mother pressed his face into her lap, attempting to calm him while Kibito restored the last of his energy.

A tremor ran up his spine, and he found himself speechless.

There it was again- he felt his father's energy.

And Frieza's.

And Vegeta's.

And his own.

"No, no, no!" Gohan breathed. With a weak, invisible blast of energy, he pushed Chi-Chi and Kibito from him. Looking past them, he saw Trunks holding onto Videl's battered form. Gohan jumped to his feet. He whipped his head to the sky, his eyes moving left across the stadium seating.

"It's him!" someone screamed.

"He's back!"

"Where is Mr. Satan?"

"Help! Someone help!"

"Cell has returned!"

Then Gohan saw him. Across the field where the stage sat, those shining purple eyes were looking right at him.

"Why, hello, Gohan," Perfect Cell said. "It's so nice to meet you."

"You can't be-!" Gohan screamed in disbelief. "You can't be alive. I killed you. I killed you five years ago!"

With a dark chuckle, Cell crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, you want the whole villain speech, don't you?" He took slow, measured steps forward, as if he had all the time in the world. "Very well. I'll let you in on the little secret."

"Get away from my son!" Chi-Chi hissed, jumping in front of Gohan.

"As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted," Cell said, clearly annoyed. He cleared his throat, his smooth, charismatic demeanour easily coming back to him. "Where were we? Ah, yes. My origin story."

"How did you survive that blast?" Gohan demanded, referring to the infamous Kamehameha battle that brought the Cell Games to a close. He stepped forward to stand right next to his mother, and she clutched herself to his forearm out of fear.

"And why come back? Why, after all this time?" she demanded.

"Well, that's very simple," Cell said. "I am not your world's Cell."

At this point, Kibito rushed forward, trying to gain Gohan's attention once more.

"Don't," a voice in his head told him.

"But Supreme Kai-" he began to argue, telepathically.

"Now is not the time," Shin answered, voice firm and resolute. "Regroup with myself and the others. Babidi is the bigger threat at hand, and young Gohan will not leave Cell. He must deal with Cell first. We will have to place our faith in Vegeta for now."

Reluctantly, Kibito fled the scene, returning to his master.

"I am from the future," Cell explained. "Not your future, of course. I come from the world of your little Saiyan friend with the time machine- the one you call Trunks."

"What?" Gohan said, gently pushing his mother away. "You stole Trunks' time machine?"

"Yes," came the reply. "You see, he had destroyed the androids after saving your timeline. As you know, I need both androids Seventeen and Eighteen in order to become complete as Gero had intended. So, I killed him and took a trip to his last destination- this timeline as it was five years ago."

Gohan reached out with his senses, only to find the rest of the Z-Fighters occupied nearly half-way across the world. And with them, a new, even more unusual energy shone brightly.

He felt his chest tighten. "Whoever that is, I sure hope they're on our side," he thought.

"Remember how strong the Cell of your time was?" Cell inquired. "That was only after absorbing humans for a few weeks. Now imagine me in hiding, absorbing hundreds of thousands of humans slowly over several years. My creator, Gero, filled me in on everything I needed to know about this timeline. I've learned from my mistakes. Have you, Gohan?"

With a yell, Gohan launched himself at Cell, a rage he didn't know he possessed burning brightly within him.

The tall bioandroid sidestepped the powerful punch aimed for his torso. The two began exchanging blows, and every time Gohan blocked, he felt himself being pushed back slightly.

"He wasn't lying," Gohan silently lamented. "He's much stronger than the other Cell was."

With a kick to the back of the knees, Gohan fell forward, only for Cell to catch him by the hair. Raising his arm, Cell held up the half-Saiyan boy by his black locks alone.

"How embarrassing," Cell drawled. "This is Earth's best? The true defeator of Cell?" Arms falling to his sides, his chiselled face lost all traces of amusement.

Voice hard, Cell said, "You may easily outmatch the pathetic life forms on this planet, but what is a king to a god? What are you, a half-breed child, to a superior being such as myself?"


	19. Hopeless

Lingering steam drizzled softly over the battlefield. Two halves of a giant, brown sphere sat slumped near each other, buried partway into the ground by rubble.

Several feet away, Vegeta struggled to his feet, blood running down his mangled form. His blue jumpsuit already torn from his chest, the Saiyan's right arm hung limply at his side.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with, you bubblegum bastard!" he shouted. With a furious yell, he powered up until the familiar golden glow engulfed him.

"La, la, la-la," Buu sang happily.

The obese, pink creature skipped toward Vegeta, eyes closed, without a care in the world.

"Finish him!" Babidi screeched, thin arms waving wildly through the air. "Finish him, Buu! I command it!"

Trunks dove for the little green wizard, who narrowly managed to avoid being tackled.

"Trunks, stop!" Shin shouted. "Babidi is the only one who can reseal Buu. We can't risk killing him!"

Ignoring the deity, Trunks put on a burst of speed as he changed directions, grappling Babidi into the dirt.

"No! Kill the Saiyan, Buu!" the Babidi screamed. "Kill him, you stupid puffball! Kill him or I will seal you away forever!"

His smile turning down into a frown, Buu turned toward his master. "Buu no like ball," he said, in his shrill, childlike voice. "Buu listen to Babidi!"

"Now, Trunks!" Vegeta growled.

Charging an energy blast in his small hands, Trunks aimed right for Babidi's short torso.

Dark blue blood squirted over the child, who promptly fell back in shock. Peering at the burnt and goring opening he made in Babidi's chest, he panicked. "Dad?" he said, stammering. "Dad?"

"Damn it, Vegeta!" Shin cried out, tugging at his hair in aggravation. "Babidi was our only hope!"

"Like he would've willingly locked that thing up again," Vegeta scoffed, his chest heaving as he fought to remain standing.

"Dad! I didn't think he was that weak!" Trunks yelled, tears pouring down his young face. "Help, I think I killed him!"

"Pull yourself together, Trunks!" His father commanded. "This battle is not over yet, son!"

Scrambling backwards on all fours, Trunks hurried away from the prone wizard, horrified at the thought of actually taking a life. Martial arts had always been fun and games- nothing could've prepared him for the harsh reality of war.

"You never said I would have to kill someone!" Trunks wailed once more, his large ego quickly melting away to reveal the naive child within.

Flying toward the Majin monster once more, Vegeta found himself knocked over again from a simple backhand. He laid sprawled, the sand and dirt beneath him quickly becoming saturated with his blood.

"You fat bastard!" he seethed, grimacing in pain. Attempting once more to lift himself, the man howled as he flopped back into the earth, his energy completely drained.

"No, this can't be happening!" Shin thought. With a quick glance behind him, he confirmed that Kibito was still lying in a mangled heap, bleeding heavily. And with Vegeta now out of commission as well, Shin gritted his teeth.

"Come with me!" he shouted, grabbing Trunks by the back of his green gi. The boy struggled for a bit, crying out for his father before Shin silenced him telepathically.

"You need to be strong for your father," the Kai said. Reading the boy's mind, Shin fed him the words of comfort the child so desperately needed to hear, all while flying them away at top speed.

Piccolo paced the edge of the lookout, silently cursing himself for taking up the mantle of Guardian. After fusing with Kami before the Cell Games, he had been the obvious choice. But now, as the intense battle raged on miles below him, he felt the inexplicable urge to jump into the fray himself.

"They're almost done," Mr. Popo said.

Peering off the edge, Piccolo saw that Mr. Popo was correct. Bulma and Yamcha were indeed almost finished in collecting the seventh dragon ball. They had collected six of them beforehand, in case they needed to use them quickly. They left the last dragon ball, the four-starred ball, at the Son house for insurance that whatever enemy they faced couldn't steal them all at once.

The Guardian of Earth now regretted that decision. He could feel Gohan's energy drop slightly, as if taking a particularly hard blow.

He could barely feel Vegeta anymore.

"Why us?" Piccolo thought to himself, angry at how helpless he felt. "Why is it always Earth?"

Meanwhile, Krillin had raced to assist Gohan against Cell. For some reason, the boy had only transformed into the first level of Super Saiyan.

"He's afraid," Krillin realised. "Gohan hasn't had to use so much power in a long time, and he's afraid to ascend."

Urging himself to move faster, Krillin arrived just as Gohan sent a powerful kick to Cell's exposed abdomen, forcing the overgrown insect to release his grip on the teenager.

Landing nimbly, Gohan yelled, "Mom! Get Videl and get out of here!"

Frustrated at knowing she wouldn't be a match for this version of Cell, Chi-Chi gathered Videl in her arms and raced over to the competitor's area entrance. Setting the girl down on a bench, away, from the action. She briefly contemplated giving the girl a senzu bean, but decided against it. She would rather the child be hurt but alive. She feared that if Videl was fully healed, she might fulfil Gohan's vision and challenge Cell head-on.

Covering the girl with a discarded jacket, Chi-Chi flew back to the non-existent ring. Krillin was attempting to fight alongside Gohan, but it was clear that this Cell was much stronger and faster than the bioandroid they had squared off against five years ago.

"Gohan!" Krillin shouted. "You need to ascend!"

Suddenly Cell stopped throwing punches, confusing the pair of Z-Fighters.

"Wait," he said. "Are you telling me this boy is still holding back?"

Seeing Gohan's Adam's apple bob with a hard swallow, Cell grinned maliciously.

"Oh, well, we'll just have to rectify that." Cell hovered a few inches off the ground, hands pulled back to one side as if ready to launch a Kamehameha Wave.

"So, tell me, Son Gohan," Cell continued, much to the boy's horror. "What makes you angry?"


	20. Angry

Dr. Gero stepped out from behind a pillar. Satisfied that his revenge would be exacted, he began to evacuate along with all the other passersby.

His future creation had been furious at the discovery that Cell had been defeated in this timeline. Shredded molecule by molecule- by a mere child! And so this time-traveling Cell had been more than accommodating in following orders from a mad scientist.

Easily navigating his way through the crowd, the old man found himself alone on the edge of the island. He had contemplated turning himself into an android, but eventually dismissed the idea as ludicrous. His puppets would suffice. Searching his pocket for a capsule boat, he froze upon hearing a throat clear.

Piccolo stood with a smug grin on his face, arms crossed.

"You know, they all told me I shouldn't fight today," the 7-foot-tall man said. "So don't worry. I didn't come down here for a fight."

Dr. Gero's eyes widened with fear, nonetheless.

Fangs flashing, Piccolo sneered, "After all, this is going to be very one-sided."

Shin flew through the air at breakneck speed, alone. Seeing as the boy was a little less than helpful in their first confrontation with Buu, he sent the boy to find his mother. Upon reaching Papaya Island, Shin's breath caught in his throat, and he was very glad Trunks would not bear witness to the gruesome sight.

The stadium had been almost completely obliterated thus far. Nearly a hundred unfortunate souls had not managed to escape in time, and their corpses littered the walkways.

Chancing a brief look behind him, Shin could tell that Buu was still in the direction from whence he came.

"What in the world happened here?" he asked, speaking to no one in particular. "How did this all go so wrong?"

Gohan panted, his fair skin soaked with perspiration. His baggy, yellow shirt hung off one shoulder in shreds. With one hand he swiped the remainder of his top off and tossed it to the ground. The slight breeze stung the burn marks across his ribs, but otherwise felt good on his overheated body.

"Mm," Cell said, casually charging up another blast. "Not bad. But I was still expecting more-"

The android's deep voice tapered off, and he bore into Gohan's dark eyes. "So were you just stalling me, then?" Cell asked, annoyed. "Waiting a friend to come save you, as usual?"

Sensing the unfamiliar energy signal as well, Gohan shook his head. "No," he said with a frown. "I don't know who that is."

"Oh?" Cell asked. "Well this should certainly be interesting, then. While three is a crowd, it would be rude of me to turn a worthy fighter away."

"Damn it, this is like the Cell Games all over again," Krillin thought. Turning away from the fighters, he shoved a senzu bean between Chi-Chi's lips. She swallowed involuntarily and began to sputter and gasp as she healed. "I wish Tien was at least here," Krillin muttered. "We could use all the help we can get. I mean, how hard is it to let your friends know where you live?"

Eyes opening, Chi-Chi took a good look at Krillin. Ignoring his humorous monologue, she twisted around his embrace to see her son disengaged with Cell. Instead of fighting, they stood silently, as though waiting for something.

"What happened?" she asked. "What are they doing?"

"Someone new is coming," Krillin answered. "Can you feel it? Not Shin, but the other one-"

"It feels like Spopovich and Yamu," Chi-Chi realized. "Whoever is chasing Shin them feels dark. Dark and twisted."

He nodded in somber agreement. "I just hope whoever it is, they're on our side," Krillin mumbled.

Meanwhile, Bulma and Yamcha had just landed on the lookout.

"Where's Piccolo?" Yamcha inquired, holding the last dragon ball.

Before Mr. Popo could answer, a figure in a billowing white cape appeared on the edge of the palace platform.

"I had some loose ends to tie up," he said simply. "Gero is dead now."

"Oh," Bulma said, a little put off by the way he delivered the news. "Well, I guess it's good that we won't have to worry about him again."

"You're damn right about that," Yamcha complained, helping Mr. Popo spread out the balls on the white-tiled floor.

"Alright, so what are we wishing for?" Bulma asked, clasping her hands together.

Just then, a green blur nearly knocked her over, and Bulma blinked a few times.

"Trunks! she shouted, returning his desperate hug. "Are you okay? What's going on down there?"

"It's bad, Mom," Trunks said, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice. "Dad is really hurt."

With a quick look from Bulma, Yamcha took off in the direction Trunks had come from, intent on finding Vegeta.

"I'm glad you're here," she told her only child. "We were just about to use the dragon balls."

"No, we weren't," Piccolo replied.

"What?" Bulma asked, confused. "But-"

"We need to save the wishes," he answered. "This isn't over yet. I have a feeling things are only going to get worse from here."

"What do you mean?" Trunks asked, hurrying to Piccolo's side. "What's going on down there?"

Closing his eyes, the Earth's Guardian did not reply.

Shin touched down at the tournament entrance, racing through the archway as Majin Buu caught up to him.

Fists clenched, Gohan watched as Shin flew past him. A moment later, a large, pink monster appeared, but stopped suddenly before landing in between him and Cell.

"You strong!" The creature said, looking between Gohan and Cell. "You play with Buu?"

"Buu?" Cell asked, smacking his lips with distaste. "Do you not realize who you're talking to, you imbecile?"

Clutching to the back of Buu's purple cloak, a small, green figure hung on for dear life. Having had Buu heal him on the flight over, the little wizard jumped off his lackey, almost hidden in the folds of Buu's cape drifting in the stale air.

"Buu, what are you waiting for?" Babidi cried out. "Go after the Supreme Kai! Worry about these amateurs later!"

"Amateurs?" Cell snapped, appalled by the mere suggestion. "I'll show you amateur!"

Swinging a leg out in front of him, Gohan watched in amazement as Cell's foot passed harmlessly through Buu's torso. The pink monster giggled and grabbed the outstretched foot. Tossing Cell several feet away, the bioandroid's impact created a small crater in the trampled grass.

Hands clutching his thick hair, Gohan visibly panicked. "What the hell is going on?" he asked himself.

"Gohan!" Krillin and Chi-Chi raced to him, and his mother nearly squeezed him to death in a bone-wrenching hug.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she fired off, running her hands over his bare chest to check for broken ribs. He hissed as she touched a second-degree burn, and gently pushed her hand away.

"I'll be fine," he said.

"Looks like whatever that is, it just bought us some time," Krillin remarked, watching Cell and Buu fight.

As Krillin fished around in his pocket for a senzu bean he could give Gohan, Babidi stared in horror at Buu's match. While confident in his creation's abilities, he baulked at the thought of two ridiculously strong opponents for him to finish off. They didn't have time for this. They had a whole universe to conquer!

"I need to level the playing field," he thought. Closing his bulging eyes, he concentrated on pulling his Majin magic to the surface.

Something tugged at the edge of his consciousness, and Babidi's eyes snapped open in surprise. Then, a mischievous grin grew across his face.

"Why level the playing field," he thought, "when you can tip the scales entirely?"

"Mom, you need to leave," Gohan told his mother. "I can sense a few people still trapped inside the pavillion, and one in the contestant area. You need to go help them."

"I am not leaving you!"

"Go!" he yelled, his face only an inch from her's. She reeled back, caught off guard by his sudden aggression. Realizing he was more easily aggravated when transformed, she nodded stiffly before flying away.

He couldn't lose her. Not again.

Once Chi-Chi was out of sight, Gohan turned to Krillin. "You need to help protect the Supreme Kai," the boy said.

"There's no way I'm leaving you!" The monk protested.

Holding a hand up, Gohan quickly took charge of the situation. "Take him to the lookout, then come back to help me," he finished.

Biting his lip, Krillin looked back to the skirmish between Cell and Buu. Neither seemed to have the upper hand. Cell had taken more damage, but his regenerative abilities healed him quickly enough.

"I'm not leaving," Shin declared. "I am not very powerful, but I may be able to advise you. I have encountered with Majin Buu before."

Before they could reply, Gohan dropped to his knees, his energy skyrocketing.

A hoarse cry escaped the teenager's throat, and Krillin quickly bent down to see what was wrong.

"Gohan?" the man cried. "Gohan!"

Gusts of wind poured of Gohan in waves, pushing Krillin away from him.

Pain.

Sharp, excruciating, unfiltered pain seeped into every crevice of Gohan's mind.

At first, some small part of him concluded that Bardock was trying to contact him, or perhaps he was having a particularly intense vision.

But his most primal instincts soon took over as the logical part of his brain shut down, unable to operate under such strain.

He ascended straight into his second form, attempting to ward off whatever internal force trying to grip him.

Distantly, he heard both Krillin and Shin shouting at him, but the words were quickly lost amongst his own screams of torture.

"Resist!" Shin shouted. "You have to fight him, Gohan!"

"What's going on?" Krillin demanded, pulling Shin close by the front of his shirt.

"It's Babidi," Shin gasped. "I thought Trunks had killed him, but-"

Looking around frantically, Shin spotted the small wizard on the ground, on the other side of where Buu and Cell battled. Babidi's mouth moved rapidly and his fingers twitched, clearly chanting something.

"He's taking control of Gohan's mind," Shin revealed, much to Krillin's alarm. "That's what he does. He takes the darkness in someone's heart, no matter how small, and he twists it against them with his evil sorcery."

"You've got to be kidding!" Krillin yelled, incoherent with fear for his friend. "Gohan is a good kid. He's got a heart of gold! He's the purest soul I know. There's no darkness in him!"

Sighing in resignation, Shin looked once more to Gohan, who was now hunched over on all fours. "It only takes one dark thought to fester and grow," Shin said. "I too sensed that Gohan was a kind soul. But it seems that everyone has their demons."

No longer able to ignore the growing power raging near them, Cell and Buu turned to face the half-Saiyan.

"Incredible," Cell muttered. "I don't believe it. That damned boy was holding back that much?"

"Ooh!" Buu echoed. "Boy is strong. Buu fight boy!"

Chi-Chi raced out of the pavillion, covered in dust, her clothes bloodied from victims. Videl limped out behind her, intent on finding out what had happened.

Krillin dropped Shin and instead latched onto Chi-Chi, holding her firmly around the waist as she thrashed and wailed in alarm.

"Don't get near him, Chi-Chi!" he yelled, but his reasoning fell on deaf ears as the woman continued to struggle.

"Let go!" Shin shouted, kneeling next to Gohan. "The past is the past, Gohan! Let it go and be free!"

More waves of energy rolled off the boy, blasting Shin away.

Videl stilled, absolutely speechless at the chaotic scene unfolding before her.

Meanwhile, the struggle of darkness waged on in Gohan's mind. He tried to fight it, but found himself slipping ever so slightly, allowing the evil magic to gain more purchase by the second.

The lowest points of his life surfaced in flashes.

He saw his father and Raditz being impaled with a beam of energy; Piccolo's death at the hands of Nappa; Recoome's leg sweeping toward him; Frieza and King Cold's viscous grins.

He felt his heart being ripped from his chest as Cell killed his mother. Then as if to add insult to injury, his father's death crushed whatever remained of his blood-pumping organ.

He saw the empty bassinet in his mother's room day after day, too wrapped up in his own grief to disassemble it.

Everything coalesced into guilt and shame. It was all on him.

"Why have power, when you can't protect the ones you love?" Gohan thought, and not for the first time.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard Babidi's voice, and blocked it out as best he could.

But then he heard another.

"Gohan," Bardock said, grabbing a small fraction of the teen's attention.

"Help," Gohan growled. "Gramps! Please, help me!"

Memories of the older Saiyan swirled in Gohan's subconscious, his serious features strong and unwavering. Gohan reached out with a hand, begging for relief. But the man did not move.

This had been exactly what Bardock had intended to prevent.

"Or perhaps this is his destiny," Bardock thought, brow furrowing.

Closing his eyes, the older man took a deep breath. He had come to a decision, but he wasn't sure if it was the right one.

Only time would tell.

In a shaky voice, he spoke. "Give into it," he said, slowly. "Please, Gohan. Let go of your control. Trust me."

In an instant, the blue bolts of energy crackling around Gohan flashed red. A dark, red light engulfed the half-Saiyan completely for a few seconds, and he rose several feet into the air.

Just as quickly as it happened, it was over.

The light, the energy, the aura- it all disappeared. Gohan dropped to the ground like a rock, landing on his knees with his forehead bowed low to the ground.

"Gohan!" Krillin said, still tightly holding onto his student.

The silence was deafening as everyone waited for the boy to show any signs of life.

And with veins bulging across his exposed skin, Majin Gohan rose.


	21. Insecure

A single blonde bang hung between Gohan's eyes, but there was no mistaking it. The symbol of the Majin sat burned into his forehead.

"No," Shin muttered under his breath. "Bardock has failed."

"Gohan?" Videl asked tentatively, making her way to Chi-Chi's side. "That's… Gohan?"

"It used to be," Shin admitted, looking grim.

"Kill that thing!" Babidi demanded. Looking at Gohan, he pointed frantically at Cell. "Kill that overgrown grasshopper!"

"Gladly," Gohan replied.

Cell barely had time to raise an arm to block a vicious hook. Seeing an opening, Gohan launched a vicious uppercut, slamming Cell into the air. Using instant transmission, Gohan transported behind Cell in the air before pummeling him to the ground.

"Buu play, Buu play!"

"No!" Babidi yelled, jumping up and down in frustration. "That thing is being taken care of, you idiot! Go after the Supreme Kai!"

Growing tired of his master's insults, Buu decided to ignore the wizard.

A fat fist hit Gohan in his injured side, and he soon found himself in a triangle of assault. One after another, the three fighters exchanged blows.

At a loss of what else to do, Chi-Chi ran toward Babidi. The creature screeched and tried to call for help, but the Z-Fighter wrapped a hand around his neck. "Stop this!" she ordered. "Fix my son or I'll kill you!"

"Please, please!" he begged, pleading for his life. "I'll do anything!"

Dropping the wrinkled little man, Chi-Chi looked at him, poised to attack should he try anything else. Clutching his throat, Babidi opened his mouth to speak.

"Destructo Disk!"

Krillin's attack decapitated the wizard. Eyes wide in realisation, Chi-Chi turned.

"It didn't work!" Krillin confirmed, his heart racing as the situation grew even more out of hand.

The calligraphic mark on Gohan shimmered in the light, but did not waver or fade. With Majin magic running through their systems, Gohan and Buu felt invigorated by the energy boost. But as the battle wore on, Cell found himself outmatched. An idea coming to mind, Cell smirked through heavy breaths. Falling back for a moment, he let Buu exchange a few blows against Gohan while he spread his long wings.

From deep within the folds of his back, a wrinkled, beige tail fell out, its large opening twitching in anticipation.

He slammed forward, knocking Gohan down as he struck Buu in the face. Stunned, Buu froze as he felt the hood of Cell's open-ended tail squeeze over his upper body.

With a victory laugh, Cell began to absorb the pink monster.

"Seriously?" Krillin yelled. "What the hell!"

Gohan kicked Cell from behind, jostling the android's tail loose.

The blob known as Buu started to melt, his flesh deforming into a gooey, unrecognizable mess. The pink substance then crept over Cell's tail, to the android's torso, and over his face, countering Cell's absorption by absorbing the android first.

The Supreme Kai simply watched, all hope lost, as Buu's body elongated, and Cell's dark, grotesque spots formed across pink skin.

"Boy strong," the newly fused villain rasped. Standing just shy of eight feet tall, the muscular being's voice had dropped several octaves. "But Buu strongest."

The pain came back, almost as strong as before. Gohan grunted and hissed in pain, stumbling a few steps backwards.

"You need to fight this, Gohan," Bardock shouted, his sense of panic growing from deep within the recesses of Gohan's mind. "Do you hear me? Babidi gave you major power boost, and it's time for you to abuse it!"

The voice of his Saiyan grandfather was swallowed by the overwhelming presence of Babidi's magic. He couldn't reach the boy anymore.

"Gohan!"

Bloodshot eyes snapped open as Gohan registered to whom the new voice belonged. This voice, however, was not confined to his head.

"Dad?" he gasped. A sharp pain blasted through his head, and Gohan realised he was not only being attacked from the inside with Majin magic, but from the outside as well. Perfect Buu landed another kick to the side of Gohan's head, displeased that the boy had ignored his previous punch.

"I need you to end this, Son," Goku said, a hand placed carefully on King Kai's back. "I know you're not the same little boy you were when I died. But I also know you're not the monster Babidi has made you out to be."

His chest heaving, Gohan hastily blocked another attack, every fibre of his being hyper aware of his dead father's voice.

"Babidi is dead, Gohan!" Goku said, his voice growing louder with passion as he spoke. "You are the only one who can stop Buu and Cell now. You need to take control back! The fate of the universe depends on you!"

"I can't," Gohan snapped, getting smacked in the face with a harsh backhand. He flew backward several hundred feet, crashing into a mountain. The formation crumbled around him, and he felt Perfect Buu's approach.

"I can't control this," Gohan said, voice cracking. "I can't, Dad, I can't."

"You can," Goku asserted.

"I let you die!" Gohan shouted in response. "I let Mom die! I couldn't bring out my power in time, Dad- I couldn't control it!"

"And if you don't control it now, she'll die again!" Goku argued. "Your mother, Piccolo, Krillin, Bulma, Trunks, Vegeta- all of them. Dead! Even you. Is that what you want? Do you want to die, Gohan?"

Feeling the last of the intense Majin magic wearing off, Gohan blasted his way out of the rubble. He powered up to his absolute maximum, his father's words striking a chord somewhere deep within him.

This would be his last stand- a tribute to his father.

Perfect Buu watched in amusement as the boy's hair faded from blonde to black, a white aura springing to life around him. Letting loose a scream, Gohan felt his latent power finally burst free.

Able to feel his energy all the way in Otherworld, Goku and King Kai jumped in surprise, and their telepathic connection ended when Goku's hand fell of King Kai's back.

"No way," King Kai exclaimed.

"What?" Goku asked. "What was that? Is that still Gohan?"

Nodding in disbelief, King Kai reasoned, "That power boost your son got from Babidi- it must've helped him break through his ceiling."

"What!" Goku cried out. "You mean he's a Super Saiyan 3?

"No," the Kai said. "He's already far past that. This- whatever this is- It's past Gohan's limits."

"I always knew he had a hidden power, but…" Goku trailer off, in awe.

Sweat formed on King Kai's brow. "Well, he was the first Saiyan hybrid ever born," the deity revealed. "It was a big deal to the Kais. We didn't know what to expect, so we took some… precautionary measures."

Goku's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You mean... he never told you?" King Kai questioned, face pale.

"Told me what?"


	22. Lively

With no senzu beans to spare, Vegeta's voice echoed off the walls of the lookout.

"Stay here, damn it!" Bulma shouted. Instead of telling him to take it easy since he almost died fighting Buu, she tried a different approach. "I'm scared, Vegeta! You need to protect me and Trunks. Who the hell else is going to guard us and the Dragon Balls? Yamcha?"

"Hey!" the baseballer said, offended.

Vegeta shot the man a dirty look and grumbled, crossing his arms.

"He absorbed Cell," Piccolo informed them. "I can no longer stand by and just watch!"

"Piccolo," Mr. Popo advised. "If we lose you, we lose the-"

"The dragon balls, yeah, I know," the Namekian shouted, frustrated to no end. "But if Buu destroys the Earth now, what good will broken dragon balls do? If we let Gohan die, who will end the madness?"

The aforementioned teenager's energy suddenly spiked. Two fingers on his forehead, Gohan appeared, gripping a shaken Supreme Kai by the arm. Touching his shoulder was Chi-Chi, who held onto a frightened Videl. On Gohan's other shoulder was Krillin. "Here," the boy gushed, before pushing the Kai away. Once Chi-Chi and Krillin pulled their arms away, Gohan flashed Videl an apologetic smile before disappearing once more.

"What are you doing here?" Bulma said, uncertain by this new development.

"I may have a solution, but it will be risky," the deity said.

"Well, we're desperate," Piccolo snapped, irritable that he couldn't physically jump into the fray. "So what do you have for us?"

The Kai smiled, uneasy. One at a time, he unclipped his long earrings.

Back in Otherworld, Goku stared at King Kai. "There's a Kai above the Grand Kai?" he clarified.

"Yes," came the reply. "It was the Supreme Kai who arranged for the partial reincarnation of your father's soul."

Goku fell to the ground in a cross-legged position, clearly thinking hard. "I can't believe you knew and you didn't tell me," the Saiyan lamented. "I can't believe Gohan didn't tell me."

"At the time, we had no choice," King Kai sighed. "The Saiyans were ruthless. As the first hybrid Saiyan in existence, no one knew what he would be capable of... Some of the Kais feared he would become the legendary Super Saiyan and- well, they weren't exactly wrong."

"But Gohan would never use his power to hurt others!" Goku yelled, jumping to his feet again. "He's my son. I know my own son, King Kai!"

"We know that now, but we didn't know then!" King Kai yelled back, exasperated. "The Supreme Kai felt that since your father's visions reformed him before his death, that perhaps it could put Gohan on a path to greatness. Surely you notice his alarmingly high power level as a child? We certainly did."

Thinking back, Goku remembered the few times Gohan had shown ridiculous strength as a toddler, once even plowing through a century-old tree trunk by accident.

Turning his back on his mentor, Goku felt utterly betrayed. "Do you think this is a game?" he whispered. "Do the gods think they can just play with our lives, like there'd be no consequences?"

"Of course not, Goku!" King Kai pleaded. "We're usually strictly forbidden to intervene in such mortal matters. That's how serious the situation was."

"Sorry for falling in love and starting a family," Goku spat, uncharacteristically furious. And without another word, he put two fingers to his forehead.

Eyes wide behind his sunglasses, King Kai shouted, "No, Goku! You can't! You're-"

The man disappeared.

Blood seeped from Gohan's slack jaw, the boy fairly certain that the bone had been partially fractured.

"Boy dead," Perfect Buu threatened, a sinister smile creeping across his unharmed face.

"Gohan!"

"Piccolo?" Gohan thought, startled by the sudden intrusion. "What's wrong?"

"Come to the lookout. Now," the Guardian commanded. "We have a plan."

"But Buu is-"

"Forget about him for a second," came the telepathic reply. "It would seem he can't sense power levels all that well. So get over here- now!"

Dodging the sweeping tentacle protruding from Buu's head, Gohan teleported away, leaving the monster baffled.

"Buu kill boy?" the thing asked, scratching his soft head.

Gohan didn't quite know what he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't this.

Standing before him on the lookout was his father, a halo floating above his spiky black hair.

"Gohan!" the man exclaimed, gripping his only child in a tight hug. "You've gotten so big, son. I've missed you so much."

Stunned, Gohan felt his eyes grow wet. "Dad?" he mumbled, clutching onto his father's gi. "Dad, is that really you?"

"I hate to interrupt," Shin spoke. "But I have something for you, Gohan."

Confused, the teenager pulled out of his father's embrace to see the Saiyan wearing a strange earring.

Looking to the Supreme Kai, the boy saw the other earring being offered to him.

After a short explanation of the fusion, Gohan gave the piece of jewelry an incredulous look.

"Be glad that Kakarot arrived when he did," Vegeta spat. "Otherwise you'd be sharing a body with me, boy."

Suppressing a shiver at that suggestion, Gohan looked at his father. "It's permanent?" he asked, uneasy. "We'll be an entirely new person… forever?"

"It's the only way," Goku replied. "Please, Gohan."

With a shuddering breath, Gohan attached the earring to his lobe.

Buu flew around the world several times. He murdered some citizens in cold blood. Others, he chased around as if playing hide and seek. But most of the time, Buu was just hungry. He ate a lot of people-candy in the time Gohan had been gone.

Heading through another cloud, Buu slammed into something hard. He flung himself backwards in an attempt to see what building he had ran into this time.

Floating before him was a man be had never seen before.

"Hello, Buu," the stranger said. "I am Gokhan. I've come to kill you."


	23. Satisfied

Gohan's first breath after the fusion was memorable. All in an instant, he felt as though he was born again, no longer a portion of Gokhan.

He was just Son Gohan again. Cheerful, socially awkward, homework-loving Son Gohan.

Caught off guard, Goku fell onto his butt. "Ow," he whined. Chi-Chi laughed, throwing herself into the man's lap.

"Oh, Goku!" she cried. "I missed you!"

"I missed you," Goku said, his voice thick with emotion. "I love you, Chi."

Krillin clasped a hand on Gohan's shoulder, and Vegeta gave a slight nod of acknowledgement towards the teen.

"I can't believe it's over," Gohan panted. "That was…"

"A freak show?" Krillin offered. "A mess? A clusterfuck?"

"Yes," Bulma affirmed with a small smile. She wrapped her arms around Trunks, who tried to pull away from her celebratory kiss on the cheek. "All of the above."

"I know the universe was at stake and all," Yamcha started. "But that Kamehameha battle looked really cool from up here. It was a fitting end, don't you think?"

The planet below them hung in shambles, and Piccolo stood taut in the edge of the lookout. Every fibre of his body strained with effort as he struggled to hold the Earth's core together as best he could.

"Summon the damn dragon!" he roared through gritted teeth. "I can't hold this for much longer!"

Immediately, Mr. Popo called Shenron forward. As the gigantic dragon unraveled from his hidden dimension, a discussion began about what their wishes would be, and it what order. After more threats on Piccolo's part, the Earth was restored to its state before Babidid released Buu. Exhausted, Piccolo collapsed to the ground, Gohan rushing over to help him up.

After more arguing and an impatient growl from the dragon, Shenron gave billions of people their lives back. The android siblings and Kibito popped into existence on the Guardian's lookout, and countless others reappeared across the globe.

The celebration was short-lived, however.

"I should be heading back," Goku said suddenly.

"What?" Chi-Chi shrieked. "You can't- don't leave us again!"

"I'm dead, Chi," he said softly.

Gohan watched through bleary eyes as his father touched foreheads with his mother. They closed their eyes, reveling in the warmth and love the other provided. He had never really seen his parents like this- and after today, he wouldn't ever again.

Sensing Gohan's thoughts, the Supreme Kai stepped forward, albeit hesitantly. "I believe some sort of reward is in order." Turning to Goku, the Kai lowered himself to the ground. "After all, I have a debt to pay for allowing Buu to live dormant on this planet."

"Master?" Kibito said, concerned. "What are you planning on doing?"

"Yeah, Supreme Kai," Goku said, puzzled. "What-"

"I know Gohan will take good care of this planet," the Kai interrupted. "But please… take good care of Gohan."

With a flash of dark, purple light, Shin seized up before falling on his side, suddenly lifeless.

Kibito lunged forward as everyone else gasped in horror.

And the halo above Goku's head shimmered and faded. Moments later, Shin's body faded with him as he returned to his original realm. With a stiff goodbye, Kibito disappeared as well, off to serve his master in Otherworld.

Their friends nearly tackled Gohan and Goku all at once, overjoyed at the turn of events. Even Videl stepped forward from the shadows to embrace her friend, expressing her gratitude.

"I can't believe it," Videl said, burying her face in Gohan's chest. "My friend saved the world, and I didn't even know. Nobody did."

He returned her hug gently, afraid to exacerbate her slow-healing wounds. "So you don't think I'm a freak?"

"A freak?" she shouted, pushing away from him. Hands on her hips, she continued in disbelief, "Are you kidding me? As soon as I'm back in fighting shape, you're going to teach me how to fly, Son Gohan!"

Hand behind his head, Gohan shifted nervously under her intense stare, his friends sharing a laugh at the boy's expense.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Everyone turned to see a tall, tanned man warp into view. Bardock took a step towards Gohan, a cocky grin on his face.

Though shocked beyond belief, Gohan quickly composed himself and said slyly, "I knew this little reunion was missing something."

"Yeah, some important guy just died," Bardock said nonchalantly, crossing his dark arms. "He jumped the line and asked for my return. Funny enough, King Yemma complied. Said something about righting a wrong? I'll be honest, I wasn't really paying attention."

"Does that mean-?" Goku started, looking back and forth between Gohan and Bardock.

"My visions," Gohan finished. "I wonder if they're gone."

"Hey, anyone care to explain who this third-class fool is?" Vegeta demanded, eyeing Bardock like potential prey.

"It's kind of a long story," Bulma offered, winking at Gohan.

Bardock smiled. "I think we have time."

THE END


End file.
